Bubblegum Crisis: The Next Generation part 4
by Purple Knight Saber
Summary: Yumeko's having a hard time getting back on her feet, literally, after the incident at the summit. And with Genom potentially on her tail, recovery's gonna be that much more difficult, especially when someone she knows gets involved.
1. ICU

By FAR the longest of the four parts of Next Gen, part 4 was written between January and December of 2001. When I finished this up, I was 18...and pretty darn impressed by my writing and how far it had evolved since part 1! I cringe now when I read part 1 and some of part 2...but that's how it goes, I guess. Part 4 is pretty long, but I've tried to divide it up into sizable yet manageable chunks. Just imagine if my friend Bert tried to post his fic here! You may have heard of it; it's called "Bubblegum Zone"...

* * *

Careening down the highway at high speed, me and my fellow Knight Sabers were rushing to get our teenage comrade to the hospital as soon as possible. While Linna pulled off Yume's broken helmet, Nene and Sylia worked to get off her hardsuit, and I was busy getting out of my own suit. My head swam as I tried to deal with what was happening. Yume, my only daughter…was she really in this dire of shape? Was this all just a bad dream? I'd hoped so all along, but as my heart pounded and I walked shakily over to her, the reality and the pain of my wounds reverberated throughout my body.

"Yumeko, c'mon, wake up!!" Nene cried, shaking her gently.

"Be careful with her, Nene!" Linna cautioned.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about her," she moaned, suddenly grabbing her side and wincing.

"Priss, give us a hand," Linna said, looking back to me.

"I'm tryin'," I barked, having disengaged the locks on my suit and was now attempting to step out of it, but my broken leg didn't want to do much of anything. Once I finally managed to get it out of the armor, I lost my balance and fell to the ground, groaning. "Son of a…"

Sylia bent down and pulled me to my feet. "We're not too far away from the hospital. Can you hang in there a while longer?"

"Gotta be there for Yume, of course I can," I said, gingerly stepping over to where Yume was laid down, Linna trying to disengage the locks on her suit.

When the chest and stomach armor swung open on her suit, Nene suddenly yelped and jumped back, trembling all over.

"She's…she's…" Nene said, pointing to the wound on Yume's stomach. I looked down, only to pale when I saw that the front of her innerwear was soaked in blood. I stepped back and put my hand to my throbbing chest.

"Yume…" I whispered. How could I have let this happen to her?!

"Get her out of the suit, now!!" Sylia ordered.

"Priss, we're not the only ones who can do this! We need your help!" Linna said.

I slowly nodded and gently shoved a sobbing Nene out of the way. While Linna lifted Yume's upper body out of the suit, I grabbed the suit's legs and dragged them off. Once she was out of the suit, Sylia immediately went and got a large pair of scissors and started cutting the left leg of the innerwear off of her. I watched her as she removed the bloody innerwear and tied it above Yume's leg wound, and just about threw up when I saw the wound itself: it was a hole full of red flesh above her left knee, blood running down her leg and onto the floor. I fell to my knees and was just about to cry when Linna bent down and hugged me.

"Priss, she'll…she'll be fine," Linna tried to assure me, about to cry herself. "We…have to stay positive though. We have to help her all we can. I promise you, we're not going to let her die…"

"We're almost there!!" Mackie suddenly called to us.

"Thank God," I said, letting out a tired sigh. Seemed like we'd been on the road forever.

"Oww," Nene suddenly moaned, putting her hand to her side again. Linna and I looked over at her, only to see she was completely white.

"Nene?!" Linna said.

"It hurts," Nene panted, sweat running down her face.

"We're losing her!" Sylia suddenly called out. I snapped my head over to where she was, feeling for Yume's pulse.

"What do you mean?!" I panicked.

"Her pulse is slowing down," she said, trying to keep her composure. "She'll bleed to death unless she gets to the ER quickly."

"Yume, no!!" I yelled, crawling over to her and taking her hand. "Yume, Yume, stay with us. You've held out for this long…" I kissed her hand and let the tears run down my face. "You've come this far, just hold on a few minutes more, ok? You can do it. Please…"

* * *

"How long has it been?" I asked, drumming my fingers on the arm of the wheelchair I'd been stuck in once my injuries got treated. The damn doctors had said I wouldn't be able to operate the crutches with a broken collarbone - that arm was in a sling now - so here I was, looking like a total ass.

"You just asked that two minutes ago," Linna responded, then looked at her watch. "I think it's been about an hour and a half that we've been sitting here."

"Damn it," I sighed. "How much longer can it take to patch up Yume?"

Linna looked at me, shocked. "Patch up? Yumeko got shot THROUGH her leg, and they also said she sustained a Grade IV laceration to her liver, not to mention five broken ribs and three cracked ones. That can't be just 'patched up'."

"What I meant was, how long are they gonna be in the operating room?" I grumbled.

"To be honest, I don't know." She swept her hand through her black hair to get it out of her eyes. "Sylia, you know more about this stuff than we do. How much longer will it be?"

"I'd say a few more hours," she said tiredly. "Nene should be out of the OR in a little while though."

"Why'd she have to go in there again?" I asked. She'd looked fine to me in the truck, although she'd been complaining more and more about the pain in her side. A couple broken ribs shouldn't have required surgery…

"They had to do a splenectomy. When she took that hit for you, apparently the force ruptured her spleen, so they have to take it out."

"That'd do it." I tried to get up out of the wheelchair, but Sylia stood up and held me down by my shoulders.

"You know full well you can't move around like that."

I frowned. "Yume could be dying in there for all I know!! They've already done a Code Blue TWICE!!" I snapped, holding up two fingers. "What if they won't be able to revive her if her heart stops again?!"

Sylia sighed, looking as tired as I felt. "Well, the doctor's heading this way. Perhaps he'll be able to answer that for you."

I swung around my wheelchair and sure enough, there was a doctor walking towards us. He looked like he had good news, but who knows…doctors were experienced at hiding their emotions.

"Miss Asagiri?" the doctor said, looking at me.

"Is Yume ok?!" I asked hurriedly.

He smiled. "Don't worry, we've got the bleeding under control now." I sighed in relief.

"Thank God."

"We had to use eighteen units of blood, and we've managed to sew up her abdomen and put in a plate to stabilize the zygoma fracture…" He flipped through the papers he held in his hands.

"And?"

"But…the bullet that went through her left leg shattered her femur, and it also tore up a good deal of muscle. I need to ask you if you would consider having her leg cybernetically replaced."

I nearly jumped up out of my chair, Linna being the only thing holding me back. "Hell no!! Why would I do that to her?! She'd rather have no leg than a cybernetic one!!"

He sighed. "I asked you because there is a chance that Yumeko will never walk normally again. She's young, and will make a quick recovery from her other injuries, but her leg is the thing that concerns me right now."

"So how long is it gonna take for her to recover?"

"Well, to say a few months would be a bit optimistic."

"What?!" Linna and I both gasped.

"A few MONTHS?" I yelled.

"If there's a chance she can regain full strength in her leg -- 'if' being the operative word here -- it would probably take a few years before she'd be able to compete in those huge gymnastic competitions again."

"What about just to walk?"

"Without any sort of brace, I'd say about five months, but that's just an estimate."

I nearly fell out of the chair when he said that. Five damn months just to walk normally?! Yume'd be brokenhearted when I told her. And so much could happen within that time frame. What were we supposed to do until then?!

"Well…how long is she gonna be here?"

"My guess is a few weeks, barring any complications, and then we'll release her to a rehab center," he said matter-of-factly. Ooh, how I hated it when they acted so nonchalant about everything!

"So she's ok now?"

"The first forty-eight hours are the most critical period. Once that passes, then we can say she's out of the woods. But for now, we just have to wait."

"When can I see her?" I persisted.

"She's still in the OR as we speak. The surgeons are busy putting in bone and muscle grafts, and some plates to hold the femur together. It'll be a couple more hours before you can see her in ICU." And with that, he turned around and walked back down the hallway.

"Five months?" Linna finally asked, breaking the uneasy silence. "Well, that's just without ANY kind of brace. She could still wear one of those knee sleeves."

"Thanks for the comfort," I groaned, leaning back and closing my eyes.

"A lot of athletes wear those," she said, brightening. "It provides support to the knee and leg. People that're recovering from torn ACLs, they depend on those a lot."

"That's in the knee though, isn't it? Yume got shot through the leg, not the knee."

"Like I said, support to the knee AND leg. It'll make recovery a bit easier for her."

"How funny. Just two hours ago we were fighting for our lives, and already we're talking about healing up and getting back into shape," I said, smirking. Linna laughed.

"Never too soon to think about it," she said, standing up and leaning on her crutches. "Well, I'm gonna go ask the doctor if Nene's out of surgery yet."

"Sylia," I said once Linna left the waiting room, "is Yume gonna be able to fight again?"

Sylia sighed. "Not for a while, I'm afraid. The physical damage is one thing, but emotionally, I think it will take Yumeko some time before she will be able to get into a hardsuit again."

"I just…want to rip that Quincy bastard's head off for what he's done!" I grumbled, pounding on my leg with my fist. "Damn him for everything!! Yume might be crippled for life, the convention center got blown up, and he's gonna get off scot-free for it!!"

"We'll have to wait and see how the next few days play out before we know if he'll take responsibility for it."

"He's just gonna claim that they were rogue Boomers!" I snapped. "And about the center getting blown up, he'll probably say the satellite discharged by accident or somethin', just like they did when Aqua City went sky-high! They step on everybody, and nobody's doing a damn thing to stop 'em."

Sylia just stood there, slowly nodding after I was done venting. Her attention got directed elsewhere, however, when Linna came back into the room, a grin spread across her tired face.

"Good news! They said Nene's out of the operating room, so we can go see her now!" she exclaimed.

"And Yume?" I asked, hopeful.

Linna smiled. "I went ahead and asked again, since I knew you'd ask about her anyway. The surgeon said they're done with the bone graft, and right now, they're putting in a rod."

"A rod?"

"To have her leg heal straight instead of at an angle."

"How much longer until she's out?"

"They said it'd be a couple more hours at the least." She swung around on her crutches and started heading down the hallway. "This way! They said Nene is in room 389."

* * *

"How you doing, Nene?" Linna asked, sitting down in a chair and setting the crutches against the wall.

"Heh," she moaned, forcing a small smile. "I'm doing ok, I guess."

"The doctors said you'll be able to leave tomorrow afternoon," Sylia said.

"About time," she quipped. "I've only had some jello, and already I say the food here is terrible." She laughed, then looked over at me. "Hey, don't be so down, Priss. I'm sure Yumeko will be just dandy. She's tough."

I sighed. "I hope you're right…" I eyed the machine next to Nene's bed and followed the tube coming from it. It hung down halfway to the floor, then went up and under the sheets of the bed. "What's that for?"

"I think it's for--" Nene started coughing violently, which made us all jump. Once she ceased, she continued. "I think it's for…for draining fluid from my lung."

"How many tubes do you think Yume's got herself attached to?" I wondered aloud, shuddering at the thought. Oh, how I hoped she wouldn't end up a vegetable the rest of her life, God forbid. The docs said she'd probably pull through, but inside, I just wasn't sure how much one girl could take. In her shoes, I probably would've passed out after getting slashed and stomped on, let alone that plus getting shot, slapped, strangled, and nearly incinerated.

"Priss, she'll be fine," Sylia assured me, putting her hand on my shoulder. "I know you're worried about Yumeko. We're all worried about her. I assure you, we'll do everything we possibly can to help her and you out."

"You seem so…sure she'll…be fine," I said in a low voice, my body starting to tremble. "What if she won't be?! What then?!" I squeezed my eyes shut, hung my head, and started to cry softly.

Sylia bent over and looked me in the face. "Enough with the what ifs, ok? Let's just take this one step at a time."

"I don't…want her to be crippled the rest of her life," I said, opening my eyes slowly. "I don't want her to have to rely on crutches or a brace or…"

"Priss…" Nene sighed, leaning her head back on her pillow.

"We'll make sure she won't have to," Sylia repeated. "Right now, we should all probably get some rest, though. It's been a very long night." She tightened the strap on her sling and walked towards the door. "There's a lot I have to sort out with Fargo and such, so I'll be going back to my penthouse. Linna, Priss, you two can stay here if you want."

I looked up at her, tears still streaking my face. "Sylia…"

"Hm?"

"I…hope you're right about Yume."

She smiled softly. "She's your daughter. I'm sure she will come through just fine." And with that, out the door she went, walking straight and tall, even with a sling on one arm and a slightly concerned look in her eyes, a look that said that this was probably just the beginning of things to come.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly and unsurely. It felt like I was being sucked into a black hole, like I was floating in the middle of nowhere. When I took a look around though, that's exactly what it was: a black void, nothing around.

"Where…where am I?" I inquired to no one. The strange force continued to pull at me, and after a second, I began to see a light at the spot where I was being sucked to.

"Who's there?"

A figure appeared in front of the light. As I got closer, I saw it was the figure of an older woman. No one I recognized.

"It's ok now," she said gently.

"Where am I?"

"A place where nobody can hurt you."

I gasped. "Am…am I dead?!" I looked around rapidly, then snapped my head back at the mysterious lady. "Where's Mom?! And Sylia, and Linna, and…"

"They're all right," she assured me. "They're just fine, and they're quite worried about you."

"Are they ok?"

She smiled. "Yes, they are."

"You didn't answer my question. Am I dead?"

She shook her head. "It's not your time. You still have things to do. This is merely a place of limbo, a spot you could say is between life and death."

"So I'm still alive?"

"Yes. You're a very tough young lady. You have the same grit as your mother." The lady started to float away towards the light.

"W…wait!!" I yelled, reaching out to her, only to be sucked backwards, away from her.

"You have to go back," she called to me, then added softly with a wink, "Tell Priscilla I said hi, would you? Tell her I'm doing fine."

"Prisci… How do—" Before I could finish my question, I was swept away back into the strange black void.

* * *

The first thing I heard when I came to was the beeping of a nearby monitor. Slowly opening my eyes, the blurred beige ceiling greeted me. As my vision became clearer, I laid there, trying to remember what had happened. Nene trying to help me with my school paper…an explosion…Nene going to help the others…but what happened after that? Everything seemed so fuzzy. I raised up my hand and rubbed my face with it, then felt a tube going up my nose. I blinked and held the tube in my hand.

"What…?" I said aloud. A feeding tube?

I then noticed a dull pain on the right side of my face. I patted that side gently with my hand, and could practically feel each individual bruise, tender to the touch. I was also quick to notice that there was quite a gap in my mouth where a few teeth were supposed to have been. _What on earth…?,_ I wondered. Had I been in a fight? I couldn't remember any such thing.

Placing both my hands palm down on the bed, I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position, only to be struck with a sudden pain in my abdomen. I gasped and grabbed onto the bed rail with one hand to keep from falling back. I sat there gasping for a few seconds, trying to comprehend just what had happened that I couldn't seem to remember. _Ok, I have some missing teeth, bruises all over, and prob'ly surgery on my stomach. What next?,_ I asked myself. I looked around at the other beds in the room. They were all occupied by people in much the same condition I was in, probably worse. The ICU. Great.

"Oh my God!!" I heard someone exclaim. I slowly looked to my right, and at the door to the ICU was a nurse, gaping at me.

"Huh?" was all I could muster.

"You're…you're awake!!" she gasped, blinking in disbelief.

"And…?"

"D…Doctor!!" she called out, running out the door to get him. I just sat there, dumbfounded. I couldn't have been out for too long, could I?

"What's the meaning of this?" the doctor said when he appeared in the room, being dragged in by the nurse. When he looked over to me, he stopped in his tracks, eyes wide open.

"Miss Asagiri!" he gasped.

"See? She IS awake," the nurse said.

"I…I see," he said, adjusting his glasses. "I didn't think you'd be awake so soon."

"Me? Think I was brain-dead or somethin'?"

"Well…no, but…you were in a coma."

"A coma?" My head started to pound suddenly, and I put my hand up to it and groaned. "How long was I…?"

"Five days."

"Five…days…?" No way it could've been five days!! Just seemed like a matter of minutes ago that Nene had gone to help the others at the summit. Five days? Couldn't be.

"Nurse, watch her," the doctor ordered, leaving the room.

"Uh, yes, sir," she said, bowing as he left.

Just a moment later, I heard yelling in the corridor. "Awake?! You're joking, right?! She's really awake?!" And then, I heard frantic running down the corridor and towards the room I was in.

"Mom…?" I said. A second later, there she was, standing there at the door, looking completely dumbfounded, and yet relieved at the same time.

"Y…Yume!" she said, her eyes quickly brightening.

"H-hi." Mom slowly and unsurely walked over beside me, and then gently leaned over and gave me a hug. I heard her starting to cry.

"Don't cry," I said, hugging her back. "Nothin' to cry about."

"If only you knew," she said, her body shaking. "I'm…so glad you're alive."

I peeked over Mom's shoulder and saw the whole gang standing at the door, watching the scene. Linna, leaning on some crutches; Nene, looking a bit pale and worn out, and with a cast on her arm and elbow, but otherwise ok; and Sylia, with her arms crossed, looking just as calm and cool as ever.

"What's wrong with everybody?" I asked when Mom finally released me and stepped back. "You all look like I died or somethin'."

Nene looked down meekly and scratched the back of her head while everyone suddenly got a weird serious look on their face.

"Um…am I right…?"

"Well…" Mom said. "You came pretty close…"

"What happened to me?"

Linna blinked. "You don't remember?"

"Nuh-uh. I remember Nene helping me with my essay, but everything after that's a blur." I slowly laid back down, having used up all my energy already. "Heh…talk about an excuse to get out of doing that essay." I chuckled in irony.

"Well, it's probably best you don't remember, anyhow," Mom said, looking away. "Nothing worth remembering."

"I think it would be best to let her rest now," the doctor suddenly said. The nurse nodded in agreement.

"I don't need to rest," I grumbled. "Been laying here for five days, from what I've heard. I'd say that's enough rest." I started to swing my legs over the side of the bed to try to get out, and Mom started to push me back, but then I realized my legs were strapped down. My blood ran cold.

"Why…why are my legs strapped down?" I asked weakly. "Did something happen to my legs…?" Pain started throbbing in my left thigh, and I was afraid to know what exactly happened.

"You don't need to know that now," the doctor said. "You need some rest. Once you're more rested, then we can tell you."

"I want to know what happened to my leg, dammit!!" I snapped, making the doctor jump. "Why's it strapped down?!" My head started pounding once more, and I started to sway when Mom wrapped her arms around me to support me.

"Yumeko, I don't think you want to know," Linna said, looking a bit nervous, which unnerved me all the more. She was never nervous. Now I was REALLY curious about what happened.

"I…have to know," I moaned, closing my eyes and leaning my head against Mom's chest. "Am I a cripple now or something? What happened?"

"You…you were shot," the doctor revealed.

"Been shot before. How bad is it?"

"You sure you want to know the details?" he asked, hesitant.

"Of course I do. I'll be finding out sooner or later anyway…"

He cleared his throat. "Well, the bullet went completely through your left thigh, and in the process, it shattered your femur. We performed surgery to do bone and muscle grafts, and we also put in a rod and plates to stabilize your leg."

I blinked my eyes, trying to comprehend what he said. Shattered my leg? Muscle grafts? What did this mean?

"So, am I gonna…be able to walk again?"

"We're…we're cautiously optimistic you will, but there's a chance you'll be permanently disabled." The doc cast his eyes to the floor and sucked in a breath.

Mom and the others turned their eyes towards me, looking for a reaction. What they got certainly was not what they expected, for I started laughing. Laughing like a maniac.

"Ha!!" I said. "You doctors…you're always saying that!! Me, disabled?! You watch, in two months, two months…" I held up two fingers. "In two months, I'll be walking on my own just fine!! You wait!!"

"Uh, Yume…" Mom said, confused.

"You people are always full of it," I said, laughing so hard that I was getting tears in my eyes, partly from temporary insanity, and partly from the fact that all the laughing was making my ribs and abdomen hurt like hell. "Always have been. I'll probably be out of this hospital in a few days, too!! You wait and see…!"

"Yumeko, I don't think you—" Linna started to say.

I shook my head, still grinning like an idiot. "Linna, you hafta agree with me. I mean, c'mon, they said my shoulder would take a few weeks to heal, when it took a month and a half to heal right!! They're always wrong about their predictions about how long it'll take me to recover. Always!! And they will be this time, too!"

Then, the shield of denial I'd put up came crashing down as everything the doc said sank in. I slowly stopped my laughing and smiling, and quickly sobered up, this time the tears in my eyes being that of sorrow, of fear. My body started trembling like I was having a seizure or something. Might never walk again? That couldn't be true, could it? I shook my head and started crying, burying my face in Mom's bosom like I'd done when I was little.

"I have to walk again…" I sobbed. "I can't stay like this, Mom…"

"Yumeko…" Nene said, getting a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"Alright, it's time to let her rest now," the doctor said, and gently ushered Linna, Nene, and Sylia out of the room while Mom stood there and rocked me, trying to comfort me.

"Miss Asagiri," he said, "we have to let her get some sleep now."

"Yume," Mom said, kissing me on the forehead, "I can't promise you everything, but I swear to you that I'll make sure you'll be able to walk again. Ok?"

I smiled through my tears. "Oh, before I forget… While I was out, I dreamed that I was floating towards heaven or somethin', and this lady came up and told me that I couldn't leave here. She said I still had things to do here."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah. And she wanted me to tell you hi."

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"No. I didn't know her, but I think you do… Lemme see, I think she…she had light brown hair, like yours, and dark blue eyes. She was a little taller than me, and she had some grey hairs. She referred to you as Priscilla. Does she sound familiar?"

Mom went pale when I described her. She cast her eyes down and shook her head. Yep, musta been somebody she knew.

"I always thought…that when people claimed they saw the afterlife, that they were crazy. But…I guess it's true from what you've told me…"

"You know her?"

"Of…of course… The woman you met was my mom."

My eyes went wide. "She was?"

"…Yeah."

"She also wanted me to tell you she was doing just fine."

Mom's eyes started welling up with tears again. "It's been so long since she died…I guess since I never even really got a chance to say bye to her…well, it's nice to know she's doing all right…"

"Miss Asagiri, time to let Yumeko rest now," the doctor said, gently leading Mom to the door.

My eyelids started feeling heavy about that time suddenly, so I didn't argue.

"Mom…you'll still be here when I wake up, right?"

She looked back as she walked out the door, and said, "Of course I will. Better rest up though…got a long road ahead of us."

As I closed my eyes to go to sleep, I was thinking the same thing.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I'd been expecting to find the lights dimmed down and everything being completely quiet except for the beeping of numerous monitors, like it was in the ICU, but when I looked around, I realized I wasn't in there anymore. I'd been transferred out.

"Good morning, Yumeko," the nurse said cheerfully as she walked in the room. "How are you feeling today?"

"Feeling? I feel the same as last night, like I got hit by a semi."

"I'm just going to check your blood pressure, and remove the feeding tube. All right?"

"Ok."

While the nurse took my wrist in her hand to check my pulse, I looked to the left of my bed. There was a curtain drawn almost completely across the room.

"Who else is in here?" I asked.

"Matilda Klein," the nurse answered. "She was injured when the convention center exploded, just like you were."

"Nurse!" a woman I assumed was Matilda called out from the other side of the curtain. "I think the catheter's leaking again!"

"Oh no," she sighed. "That's the second time this week." She quickly ran over to the curtain, pushed part of it aside, and went to help my elderly neighbor. After a few seconds, she came running back out and out the door to get some help.

"Having some trouble over there?" I called over to her.

The old woman laughed. "Yes, just a little."

"So, what are you in for?"

"Oh, I lost my arm in that explosion at the summit about the Boomers. From what I've seen of you, you took some hits yourself."

"Hm? You saw them transfer me here?"

"Of course, dear. You came in here while I was having my breakfast, about two hours or so ago, I believe."

"Well, unfortunately, I'm not gonna stick around." I slowly eased myself up till I was sitting up in the bed. After a moment, once I got myself balanced, I threw off the blanket covering my legs.

"Oh. Right. That," I mumbled to myself, indicating my bandage-covered left leg, then smirked. "Well, may as well try to walk now, right?"

"You sure you want to try so soon?" Matilda asked.

"I could stand being shot," I responded, thinking at the same time, _Just barely._ "I can stand trying to walk." I swung my right leg off the side of the bed, then very slowly eased my left leg over. I grimaced in pain, biting my lip to keep from hollering.

"Easy, easy…" I repeated, bearing down on my right leg as I stood up, my hands on the bed to keep me steady. I then let my left foot touch the ground, and as I started to try to have it bear some weight, my leg suddenly screamed in pain and instantly buckled. I screamed in the resulting pain and went falling to the floor.

"What's going on here?!" the nurse said, just now returning with the equipment to change Matilda's catheter. "Yumeko, what…?!"

I chuckled nervously, grimacing in terrific pain at the same time. "Uh…the devil made me do it?"

"Let me get you back in bed," she sighed, shaking her head as she lifted me up with amazing ease and put me back in the bed. "Well, I suppose I won't have to ask you if you can wiggle your toes now, right?"

"Heh. Right," I said, embarrassed about the scene I just made.

"What happened?" Mom said, running into the room.

"Oh, uh, I just, uh, tried to get up," I stammered, still laughing nervously.

"You know better than that," the nurse chided. "Mrs. Klein, did you put her up to this?"

"I did nothing of the sort," Matilda responded, cracking up.

"I need to fix her catheter still," she said aloud, just remembering why she left in the first place, then ran to Matilda's side of the room to fix it.

"So, uh, how are you today?" I asked Mom, scratching the back of my head.

Mom blinked. "Uh, fine, I guess. What made you think you could just get up and leave like that, anyway?"

"I don't like hospitals. They're too…sterile," I said, wrinkling my nose at the smell of all the cleaning detergents and such that perfumed the air. She laughed.

"Yeah, they're real clean freaks, aren't they."

"When do I get to leave?"

"I don't know, but I'm hoping real soon. I'm more than fed up about being around here twenty-three hours a day as it is."

A thought popped into my head at that moment. "Um…how many people got killed when…when the convention center blew up?"

Mom looked at me, a bit surprised. "Well, if the newscasts are right, then about a hundred or so."

I shuddered. "That many?" She nodded grimly.

"The news also said that Quincy might be coming to the area hospitals to visit the surviving victims."

"Quincy?! The thought of seeing him apologize for 'the tragedy' makes me wanna puke!!"

"You're not alone there."

"He's just trying to cover his own tracks," I mumbled, folding my arms over my chest and slouching. "Trying to have people believe he had nothing to do with it…bah."

"Yeah, I know, I know. But of course, you don't hafta see him if you don't want to."

"I'd rather not."

* * *

As the next few days went by, and the doctors wouldn't let me out of bed, I decided to start talking a bit more with my hospital roommate. She insisted that I call her Tilda, so I did; the name Matilda sounded so old-fashioned and plain to me, anyway.

"I first came to Japan from Germany around 2016," she recalled, her eyes twinkling with the memory. "At first, me and my husband were just here to see the sights and such. We went around and visited Hiroshima and the Peace Monument there and such. We saw the Tokyo Tower and visited all the temples we could. Karl and I only meant to stay for two weeks or so, but the hospitality of the people here and the atmosphere was just so wonderful that we decided to stay.

"We settled here in Tokyo, in Shinjuku district. Karl got a job working as a fisherman while I stayed home and took care of our daughter, Emma. He worked late hours, and we hardly ever got to see him, but he wanted to make sure that we had everything we needed."

"Sounds like something out of a book," I commented.

Tilda smiled. "Doesn't it? Well anyway, as everyone knows, in 2025, the Second Great Kanto earthquake struck, and our apartment building was totally flattened. Karl and Emma, six at the time, both died. I was digging frantically in the rubble for them, even though I was badly hurt myself, and then I looked over and saw our neighbor's daughter laying there, her legs pinned beneath a slab of concrete, screaming and crying. I went over to her and dragged her out. She kept saying, 'Tilda, Tilda, my parents!! Mama and Daddy, they're gone, they're both dead!!' For the moment, I forgot all the pain I was in, and just held her there, offering my condolences. She and Emma got along together so well, you wouldn't believe it, even though they were six years apart…"

"That neighbor girl…" I wondered aloud.

Tilda nodded. "Yes, that girl was your mother, Priss."

I gasped. "She…she never mentioned anything about you saving her."

"Ever wondered why she always avoids my gaze when she's in here visiting with you? She remembers me all too well, I can tell. It's too painful for her to recall anything relating to the quake, I'm sure. For years after she was put in that dreadful orphanage, I thought about her, and her parents, and of course, I thought about Karl and Emma. I didn't have anything left to remind me of them. I couldn't even save any pictures." She sighed.

"Don't get yourself worked up," I cautioned, leaning over the bed rail towards her. "You're not in the best shape to worry yourself over bad memories. Heck, look at ME!!" I chuckled.

"I know, I know, child. Memories like that stay raw for a long time, you know.

"Well, after Tokyo was rebuilt, I moved to Shibuya to live quietly and pretty much wallow in my own misery. The years went by, but it only seemed like days to me. Anyway, in about 2036 -- yes, it was 2036 -- when Priss moved in right next door to me."

"You lived next door to us?!"

"For a while, yes. I moved out when you were about four though, so it's no wonder you don't recall me at all. Now where was I? Oh, yes. A little while after she came back from her tour in '37, she got pregnant with you. I remember when she first found out about it, too."

"You know what happened?" I asked.

"I don't know the gritty details, but she was blowing steam enough about it for me to hear. The walls in that building aren't very thick, after all.

"Ahem, well, I think it was about January of '38 when she found out she was pregnant. I remember hearing her scream and then bang the wall a few times. She yelled, 'I can't be pregnant!! No way in hell!! He actually got me pregnant with his kid!!'"

"Sounds like her to me," I mumbled, fidgeting.

"Apparently, a friend of hers was there with her. I think it was that black-haired girl with the headband."

"Linna."

"Yes, her. I heard her trying to comfort Priss and tell her it was all right. I went over to her apartment the day after, and asked her if she needed anything. I remember that when she answered the door, her eyes were puffy and red from all the crying she'd done. I said, 'Priscilla, is there anything I can do for you?' She said, 'No, I don't need nothin', just leave me alone.' Over the months, I kept asking and asking if she needed anything, but she kept saying no."

"Mom's not one to ask for help."

"I noticed. Even after she gave birth to you that summer, she didn't want any help. But I suppose that post-partum depression set in, 'cause when you were about a week old, she came over and asked if I wanted to watch you for a little while. I heartily agreed, and we started hanging out together a little more. Priss was a little uncomfortable, I think, being around an old lady and all, but she warmed up in time.

"You were the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen, then and now. You had a little tuft of brown hair, and you had the brightest little blue eyes like all babies have before they change color. You didn't cry much at all; you were very well-behaved, and you just adored being held. I watched you grow up from that little baby into a rambunctious little toddler. You always loved to explore, crawling into anything that you could fit in. And you certainly didn't mind getting dirty; when it rained, you'd always run outside and go splashing in the puddles, and Priss and I would just crack up when you came back in, completely brown and black from all the mud!!" She started cracking up. "It was the funniest sight, I must say, two big red eyes poking out from a blob of mud, ha!!"

I started to laugh, too, the first time I'd really laughed since before the Boomer attack. "Yeah, I was a bit mischievous, I admit!"

"That made it all the more heartbreaking when I had to move, though. It was late '42, I think, a little while before Priss and you went on tour. The landlord said I wasn't paying my rent on time, so he decided to evict me. You were crying and begging me not to go, in your unique little mixture of English, Japanese, and the bit of German you learned from me. It broke Priss' heart seeing you cry like that, even though she couldn't understand half of what you were saying. She practically had to pry you off of me, you were so upset over me leaving. She was upset about me leaving too, of course, but I promised her that I would come visit."

"Did you?"

"Well, a week or so after that, Priss took you with her on tour, and you didn't come back for a year and a half. When you did come back, though, I tried to visit, but I fell down the stairs trying to go up them, and I broke my hip. The health problems afterwards caused me to be put in a nursing home, since there were no living relatives to care for me."

I grimaced. "Well, that would explain why you've never come to see us all these years."

"Just a month or two ago, I'd been transferred to an assisted-living home, and a few of us were out on a walk when the convention center exploded, and well, here I am."

"What a way to meet up again…" I rubbed the side of my face with my hand; it was still badly bruised, even though it had been a week since the Boomer attack. "Do you have a mirror, by any chance?"

"A mirror? What for?"

"I want to see my face. How badly bruised it is, anyway."

"I have one on my breakfast tray. You sure you want to see yourself? The right side of your face is just one big bruise."

"I don't care, I still want to see. Couldn't possibly look as bad as my leg."

"Here." Tilda tossed the hand-held mirror over to me, and I snatched it out of mid-air and took a look into it. She was right, for the most part; everything from my eye down to near my jaw was black and blue. I then noticed a scab above my eyebrow, from a cut. I ran my finger over it, wondering why it seemed so familiar. Something about the cut and the bruises seemed related, but I couldn't place my finger on what it could be.

And then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The Boomer had done it…

"Your blood," I could hear it saying to me. "It and your eyes are the same shade of red." It leaned its face to mine and started licking the blood up from the cut above my eyebrow. I spit in its face in response, being the only thing I could do at the moment, and then, the motion of my head being jerked to the side and a pain on the side of my face.

I dropped the mirror into my lap.

"Yumeko?" Tilda asked. "Are you ok?"

"I…I…" My whole body started to tremble, my hands especially, shaking like a leaf.

"You what?"

"I feel like I hafta wash my face all of a sudden." I could still feel the Boomer's tongue on my face; a disgusting feeling, to say the least. I had to get rid of that feeling.

"Wash your face?" Tilda looked at me, confused. How could I tell her why I felt like I had to do that? She wouldn't believe it even if I told her.

"I just…feel dirty," I lied, throwing off the blanket.

"You can't try that again," she said sternly. "You know what happened the first time you tried that."

"I need to see Mom," I said, my voice shaking along with the rest of me. I placed my right foot down on the ice-cold tile, and this time, I remembered not to try to place any weight on my left leg.

"You can't be serious," Tilda said when I started hopping on my right leg towards the door.

"I'm dead serious," I said, grimacing with the pain of holding my bad leg off the ground. "I have to see Mom. I have to."

"Did you remember something about the explosion?" she inquired.

"Something like that." I was now at the door, my hand against the door frame for support. God, that flashback just made me feel sick!! I wondered how the rest would make me feel when and if I recalled it. This was one of those times where I learned that ignorance is truly bliss. Definitely bliss.

"Yumeko, what are you doing there?" I heard Linna say. I looked down the hallway to my right, and saw her standing there, looking quite surprised.

"I need to see Mom," I repeated for the third or fourth time. "Where'd she go?"

"She's in the restroom, why?"

"I remember something!"

"Well, get back to bed first."

"It can't wait!!" I started to sway, and clung even harder to the door frame, groaning when my leg started throbbing again.

"You don't want to make your leg any worse, do you? C'mon," she said, wrapping her arms around my torso and practically dragging me back through the door and back to bed.

"Ow! That hurts!!" I cried, indicating both my leg and my stomach. "Leggo!!"

After nearly throwing me back into bed, Linna said, "I'm sorry, but if you hadn't hopped out of bed, you wouldn't have caused yourself that pain."

"But I…but I…I remember…"

"What do you remember?"

I looked over to Tilda, then back to Linna. "I can't say it while she's here," I said in a low voice, still shaking.

"Well, whisper it to me, then."

I leaned over and whispered it in her ear. "I remember the Boomer holding me by the neck, and then it was licking up the blood on my face, and…and…then I spat in its face, and it slapped me…"

She nodded. "I remember that, too. I was barely conscious, but I remember that all too well."

"I haven't been able to remember anything else, though."

"You're not missing anything, trust me."

"What are you talking about over there?" Tilda asked.

"Girl stuff," Linna said quickly, grinning. "Just girl stuff."

I sighed and leaned back in bed. "I can't wait to go home…heck, even school sounds appealing at the moment!"

Both Tilda and Linna laughed.

* * *

The next day, I was finally allowed to roam the hallways after having been stuck in bed for a week. Sure, I was in a wheelchair, but I felt like I was getting sick from all that damn bedrest. Had to get up and exercise.

"Hey, wait for us, Yumeko!!" Nene called to me as I sped down the hallway.

"Yahoo!!" I yelled, spinning the wheels as hard as I could, then screeching to a halt when I reached the end.

"Being stuck in bed for a week'll do that to ya," Linna joked.

"No kidding," Mom said, snickering. "Yume, don't waste all your strength now."

"I'll be fine!" I called to her as I turned the corner, popped a wheelie, and went down another hallway.

"Geez, you sure learned how to use that thing quick," Nene pointed out.

"It's not too hard," I said, looking back to her, only to bump into someone. I looked up and saw the doctor standing there.

"There you are, Yumeko," he said, smiling. "It's time for some therapy now."

"Therapy?"

"We're going to test your knee to see how much it will bend. It's also to exercise those injured muscles, to get them built back up again."

I paled. "Ohhh no. I'm not gonna have anyone touching my leg while it still hurts THIS much, no way!!"

"The sooner, the better. You don't want it to stiffen up, do you?"

"No, but…"

"Well, let's go then. Back to your room," he said, grabbing the handles of my wheelchair and wheeling me back to my room.

"I can get myself back!!"

"This is to make sure you don't try running away," he joked.

"I can't even WALK, how can I RUN?"

"Well, we'll work on that," he assured me as we reached my room. He lifted me up and put me back on the bed, then removed the splint on my leg.

"I'm not gonna guarantee you'll leave here with your eardrums still intact," Mom said, completely serious.

The doctor looked to her, understanding completely. "Of course we're not going to bend it all the way. We're just going to see how far it can bend right now, and once we determine that, we'll give her some exercises to do to loosen the muscles up."

"Can't this wait?" I said, starting to shake. "My stomach still hurts, let alone my leg."

"I know it will hurt, but just try to bear it, ok?" the doctor asked, bending down and taking a hold of my leg, one hand above where I was shot, and one on my lower leg, near my ankle.

I took a breath and said, "Ok. But you heard what Mom said."

"If it hurts, it's ok to scream," Mom said. "Nobody's saying you have to hold it in."

"One, two, three," the doctor said, then pushed on my leg to get it to bend. I gasped and groaned as he moved it very slowly to a bending position.

"Ow, ow, oww…!" I cried, even though my leg was hardly bent at all.

"It's all right," he said. "It's only at a ten-degree angle right now. We're going to try to get it to a 45-degree angle, ok?"

"No!" I yelled, tears building up in my eyes from the intense pain. "Stop it! It hurts!!"

"A little more," he said, and pushed a little harder. I cried out and clutched onto the bed rails to keep from falling back. Mom darted her eyes from me to the doctor, and back to me again.

"How much more are you gonna do?" she asked, looking a little nervous herself.

"Not much more," he said, pushing more. I screamed and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Stop it!!" I snapped. "It's not ready yet!!"

"It's at a thirty-degree angle now. Almost there."

"I don't care!! Stop bending my damn leg!!"

"If she's in this much pain," Mom said, pissed off now, "then stop bending her leg!"

"She's doing quite all right," the doctor said, undeterred. "I'm impressed that with the injury she suffered, that the leg can bend this much."

"Only 'cause you're making it!!" I screamed at him, my head starting to spin. "Enough already!! Stop it…"

I heard Nene's voice in my head screaming the same thing. "Stop it!! Leave her alone!!" The Boomer had continued to stomp on me though, not heeding her pleas. I'd practically been stomped to death when Linna and Sylia showed up, taking over from there. Even they, though, had their trouble, and after I fired some of my discs through it, the Boomer turned on me again, saying, "Now it's the exterminator's turn…"

The pain in my leg flared up again. I couldn't take it anymore. I let go of the bed rails and fell back on the bed, screaming.

"No!! No!! Leave me alone! Stop it!!"

"Yume?!" I vaguely heard Mom say. I was thrashing around on the bed, in the middle of my hellish nightmare. I felt her pin me to the bed, but I still screamed.

"Get away!! Leave me alone," I cried. "Get the Boomer away from me!!"

"There's no Boomer here, Yume!" Mom tried to assure me. "Just us, just us."

"Get it away!! I don't want it near me!! Go…away…!"

"Nurse, sedate her," I barely heard the doctor order.

"Leave…me alone…!" I sobbed. "Get away from me…"

Mom released my shoulders, and my thrashing slowed down. I didn't even notice it, but when the nurse came towards me, ready to sedate me, I slapped the needle out of her hand.

I looked towards her, still half-insane, and panted, "Don't…you…even THINK about sticking me with that needle…"

"Y…Yume, you ok now?" Mom hesitantly asked me, wide-eyed.

"I…I don't know," I said, starting to cry again. "The Boomer…the Boomer nearly…"

"I know," she said, hugging me. "I know."

"Well…I wasn't expecting that," I heard the doctor say slowly. I looked at him through my tears, and saw that in my temporary insanity, I'd kicked him in the face and broken his glasses.

"You deserved it," Mom spat at him, still holding me. "She didn't need to relive what happened!!"

"I didn't expect a simple therapy session to make her remember nearly the whole episode at the convention center!!" he said, nearly yelling himself.

"What kind of doctor are you, anyway? You shoulda known this could've happened."

"Usually, the amnesia lasts longer than this. The memory usually doesn't return this quickly."

"Usually," Mom repeated.

"I can't…get it out of my head," I moaned, putting my hands on the sides of my head and shaking it. "The Boomer's still alive…"

"The Boomer's dead," Mom assured me. "It's dead."

"It's not gonna come and kill me?"

"No, it won't. I'm sure it died in the explosion. There's nothing to worry about."

"Don't stress her out any more," the doctor said, getting his composure back.

"Speak for yourself," Mom snapped.

"It nearly killed me," I repeated, fresh tears stinging my eyes. "How the hell did I survive something like that? The explosion…and everything…"

Mom smiled gently and pulled me closer. "A miracle saved you. That's all that matters, that you're still here."

A few minutes later, the doctor and nurse finally left, leaving Mom and me to ourselves. She just stood there and rocked me, saying that even she wasn't too sure how I survived everything, but that I must've had some divine intervention or something. As I fell asleep in her arms from the exhaustion that overwhelmed me, I was thinking of what the woman I saw in my dream had told me. Perhaps there was something for me to do here still, after all. But what it was, I couldn't be sure of just yet…

* * *

A few more days passed by, and the doctor was much more careful with how he handled my therapy sessions; after having his ears nearly burst, I'm sure he didn't want me to put him through another one of my fits. It still hurt like a bitch when he bent my leg, but I did start to notice some subtle differences; the muscles were starting to loosen up a bit, and the leg was able to be bent a little more before starting to really hurt.

"When am I gonna be able to try walking?" I asked him.

"Not until you're able to at least stand on your own. And what I mean by 'on your own' means without any crutches," he said, noting that I was wobbly on my feet even with crutches.

"Damn," I said, trying to keep my balance. "Well, when can I go home?"

"You've been making good progress with your injuries," he noted. "The femur is almost completely healed, and the laceration to your liver is doing nicely as well. Your ribs are healed too, so I can say with confidence that you'll be able to go home within a day or so, as soon as you can get around by yourself and go to the bathroom with minimal help."

"All RIGHT!!" I cheered, waving my crutches in the air, only to fall on my back on the floor. "Ouch."

"You all right?" he asked, leaning over me.

"Not as bad as when you were bending my leg the first time," I quipped, then slowly got up.

"That was my fault for going so quickly," he admitted, flushing a little.

"I've almost forgiven you for that. I probably woulda remembered a lot of that eventually anyway."

* * *

I sighed and leaned back against the brick wall, looking up at the darkening sky. Fifteen days since that disaster at the Boomer summit. Had it been that long already? Just seemed like a mere two days ago to me. I looked down to the pavement and saw a soda can laying there, and kicked it away.

"So…what do we do now?" I asked Sylia, who was standing nearby, taking a puff from her cigarette.

"There's nothing to do but sit and wait for Genom's next move," she said bluntly.

"I still can't believe what they said about the whole convention deal," I grumbled. Genom had discounted the fact that there were Boomers at the center, even though many of the surviving world leaders had said they were there. They'd said that the leaders were so hysterical that they probably couldn't remember things right. And when the leaders had said they'd seen the Sabers there, Genom decided to capitalize on that account and say that we'd attacked the center and hijacked one of the particle beam satellites, using it to blow up the center. Talk about a crock of shit.

"I'm sure everybody knows they're just trying to cover their own tracks," Nene piped up. "Won't do them any good."

"Knowing Genom, they'll probably use the Hitler Tactic; repeat the lie so often that people will come to believe it," Linna predicted.

"Wouldn't surprise me if they did," I concurred.

"I have reason to believe that Yumeko's in danger," Sylia suddenly said. I snapped my head in her direction.

"How so?"

"I examined the head of the Boomer that we recovered from the rubble, and discovered that the eye sockets have transmitters built into them."

"Meaning…?"

"That whatever the Boomer saw was fed back to its headquarters."

Linna paled. "So…Genom…might know about Yumeko…?"

Sylia nodded. "Considering her faceplate was broken, and the contact she had with the Boomer afterwards, it's probable that the Boomer got a good look at her face."

"It's…it's not like they can determine who she is just by looking at her, though," I said, mostly trying to deny the fact that Genom might know about Yume. "There's millions of people in Tokyo."

"But…they probably have files on everyone living in Tokyo," Nene said in a low voice. "They could just do a search on all females with red eyes and dark brown hair, and boom, they could have it narrowed down to her in a heartbeat. And besides, she's a nationally known gymnast. It's not like she can blend into a crowd a hundred percent of the time."

I sighed. "Yeah, that's prob'ly true…"

"This is all just a possibility," Sylia reminded us. "But we still have to be on our guard."

"Yume shouldn't even have to be going through any of this," I mumbled to myself. "If it weren't for that Boomer trying to gut her in that alley…"

"With the Combat Boomers coming out again, it probably would have been inevitable that she would've found out about us, anyway. Yumeko's been a great help to us since they've started reappearing."

"Not to mention a great pain," Nene quipped.

"She saved our asses," I snapped. "I just mighta jumped in too if I heard everyone else was getting killed while I was just sitting there like a rock."

I heard the clacking of crutches on the tile floor just inside the hospital, and I turned around and sure enough, there was Yume, coming through the doors on her crutches.

"The doctor said I could come out here for a little while," she said with a mischievous smile.

"Getting released tomorrow, I heard," Linna said.

"Yup. Can't wait. I've put up with more of this place than I can stand."

"The bruises are fading," I pointed out, smiling.

"Yeah," Yume said, grinning. "'Bout time, too. People in the hallways were gawking at me while I was on my way down here. I guess they thought I was mugged or something."

"How's your…your..." Nene asked.

"This?" Yume asked, pointing to her stomach. "I'll show ya." She threw down one of her crutches and leaned on the other one, lifting up her shirt with her free hand. A long, reddish scar lined her stomach just below her ribs, starting on her right side and going until it was a little ways past her navel. Nene grimaced when she saw it.

"I…I still wish I could've helped you when the Boomer did that to you," Nene said weakly.

Yume pulled her shirt back down and shook her head. "It wasn't your fault it happened. I was in over my head, as usual…but I just didn't want that bastard hurting you or Mom anymore, that's all." She looked up at me, then looked at the others. "Speaking of which…I never…thanked any of you for saving me."

"No thanks is needed," Linna said. "We're supposed to help each other out, right?"

"I nearly got you all killed though…"

"Oh, come off it," I said, disgusted with how she was beating herself up over it.

"Priss's right," Sylia said. "It wouldn't have made a real difference whether you'd jumped in when we were fighting the first Boomer or the second. The outcome would've been much the same."

Yume scratched the back of her head and looked down meekly. "Maybe…but I still put everyone through a lot of shit."

"It can't be helped now. We just have to concentrate on how we're going to handle the present situation."

"I still want to get back into my suit, despite my leg." We all looked at her in shock.

"Even after what you've been through?" Linna said, wide-eyed. "We thought you wouldn't want to."

"Hey, I didn't say I'd be able to do it tomorrow. I just have to learn to walk again, and get my strength back, then I can do it."

"Easier said than done."

"Yumeko, you sure?" Nene asked, very skeptical, then turned to me. "Priss?"

I merely grinned. "She's my kid, what else would you expect?"

Nene sighed and shook her head. "You're BOTH crazy."

Even I had to admire Yume for her guts. Not everybody would want to jump back into the fray after coming so close to having their lives snuffed out. Who would expect a sixteen-year-old to do that? Of course, she was my daughter, but even I had had my doubts, especially after that therapy episode. But hearing her actually say she wanted to get back into her suit rekindled my hopes that perhaps, just perhaps, things might turn out ok, even though it was apparent to me that she was just covering up her real feelings. Yeah, it might take time for her to be able to walk and run and do those fancy flips again, but if she was willing to work extra hard to regain those skills, then maybe Yume would be able to recover emotionally from the trauma she'd had just two weeks before. She was never one to let anything stop her, and well, neither was I.

* * *

"I'm so happy for you, dear," Tilda said as I packed up my stuff and prepared to go home. "I thought you'd be in here longer than you were."

"Same here," I admitted, zipping the suitcase shut. "It was nice to see you, Tilda, after all this time, though I do agree that it could've been under better circumstances. When are you getting out, by the way?"

"Oh, I don't know, dear. My health was fragile even before the summit, and now, I just don't know…"

"I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind if you stayed with us."

"Oh, no, I couldn't do that to her or you. Would you want to change this catheter every day, check the stump of my arm every day to make sure there's no infection or gangrene?"

I grimaced at the thought; I could barely watch the doctors change the bandages on my leg, let alone on Tilda's arm.

"Yumeko, you almost ready?" Nene asked, peeking her head into the room.

"Just about," I called to her. "Can you get this suitcase for me?" I stood up and leaned on my crutches for support while she came in and grabbed it off the hospital bed.

"You'll come visit, won't you?" Tilda asked.

I smiled. "Of course. Every chance I get. Promise." I went over to her bed and gently gave her a hug.

"Just a week ago you weren't even allowed out of bed," she recalled, "and now here you are walking around on crutches."

"I won't be needing 'em for long, I hope. I'm gonna get fitted with a brace soon, and try to walk with that."

"What about your teeth?"

"Mom has me scheduled to go in in a few days to get some bridgework done."

"That's good. Better than having a big gap in your mouth," she joked.

"Yeah, kinda hard to chew," I laughed. "Nene, where IS Mom, anyway?"

"Downstairs in the lobby, trying to fend off the press," Nene groaned.

"I thought she told them to leave us alone."

"She did, but they're just so curious about what she's gonna do about her tour and everything now that her daughter's a 'cripple'."

"Cripple?!" I yelled, dropping my crutches. "I'm not a cripple!!" I started to walk towards the door, but Nene stopped me.

"There's a reason you have those crutches to begin with," she reminded me.

"I don't need 'em," I said, even though I was wobbling in the effort to stay standing without them. "I'll show them who's a cripple…!!" I took a step forward with my left leg, only to lose my balance, predictably. I yelped in pain and fell forward, Nene diving to catch me in her arms.

"Yep, you'll show them, all right," she said sarcastically.

"Hey, it's getting better," I said. "It bore SOME weight, even if for just a second."

"Can't walk out there by yourself though. Just grab your crutches and let's go."

Once I said goodbye to Tilda, Nene and I headed towards the elevator. Just before she pressed the 'down' button, the elevator door opened, and there was Mom and Linna.

"Room for two more," Linna joked, stepping back so we could enter.

On the way down, Mom took out some dark-tinted sunglasses and put them on, then slapped another pair into my hand.

"What's with the sunglasses?" Linna asked, looking at the two of us. "You two look like the MIB with those on."

"They're not for blocking the sun's glare, let's put it that way," I said, putting my pair on.

Once the elevator reached the first floor, the door opened, and the four of us stepped out. I looked around, expecting to see a horde of reporters.

"I told them to stay outside," Mom said, knowing why I was looking around.

"Are we ready now?" the doctor asked.

I took a breath and nodded. The sound of my crutches clacking against the tile floor echoed throughout the lobby as we headed towards the main entrance, preparing for the onslaught of paparazzi. Why couldn't they just leave us alone? Didn't they have anything better to do? Of course not.

As the doctor held open the door for me, Mom and I stepped outside, and almost instantly, reporters starting taking pictures like crazy and yelling questions at us. Even though I had sunglasses on, the flashing of all those camera flashbulbs made my head hurt. I groaned and winced at the pain.

"Enough with the pictures," I said, putting up a hand to block the light. "You wanna see a picture?" I started to give them the bird, but the doctor put his hand over that one.

"Not the best time," he joked, holding in a laugh.

"What do you plan to do now, Yumeko?" one reporter fired.

"What about your tour?" another asked Mom.

"I think it goes without saying," Mom said, quite annoyed, "that the Replicants tour is going to be indefinitely postponed."

"How long?!" a bunch of them started asking, shoving their microphones and camcorders into her face.

"Do you mind?" she snapped. "Yume needs to get home and get some rest now. So 'scuse us for a sec." She started shoving her way through the mass of cameras and such, clearing a path for the doctor, Nene, Linna, and me. We quickly followed, many of the reporters still following us, eager to have our say.

"What are you going to do now?" one lady asked me before I climbed into Linna's car.

I smiled. "Try to walk again first."

"And what about the '56 Summer Olympics?"

I winked and said in English, "Don't count me out just yet." And with that, I got into the car and closed the door, rolling up the window.

"Good luck, Yumeko," I heard the doctor say before we pulled away and drove down the street.

I waved back, hoping that as Tokyo Memorial Hospital got farther and farther away from our sight, I would never have to see its interior again, as least as a resident.


	2. Think war is hell? Try physical therapy

"Home sweet home," I breathed, collapsing on the couch. Home, so much more comforting and, well, homely than the hospital. That place had seemed so foreign to me, with all its sterility and people coming in to check on me every fifteen minutes. But home!! Oh, I had missed it so; the last time I'd been there was the day of the disastrous Boomer attack, a little over two weeks ago.

"Are you hugging the couch, Yumeko?" Linna joked, noting that I was clutching to it with all of my limited strength.

"Yes," I admitted nonchalantly. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, the sight just looks a bit amusing."

"If you were in the hospital for half a month, you'd probably be hugging your couch, too."

"Yeah, probably," she admitted, laughing.

"Look at all this mail for you, Yume," Mom said, pointing to the kitchen table; it was piled high with unopened envelopes and letters. "It's all from well-wishers."

My eyes widened. "No way can I go through all that."

"Nobody said you had to. I bet a lot of 'em aren't even expecting a reply, anyway. They probably just wanted to send you their best wishes and stuff."

"Was I plastered all over the papers or something?"

Mom scratched the back of her head. "Both of us were. In fact, I heard that in England, there was a four-page article talking about just the two of us, and only in a two-sentence paragraph at the end did they mention there was also 108 people killed and another two-hundred injured."

"And people say there's favoritism in the media," Linna said dryly.

Nene slowly looked around at all the mail that hid every table in the apartment from view, her eyes like saucers. "Think of all the trees that were sacrificed for this mail!!" she said, half-joking.

We all doubled over in laughter in response.

"Oh, the poor trees!" I giggled.

"I don't even think I can see the carpet," she said, looking down.

"You're wrong. I can see a patch of it there, and there…" I said, pointing to the tiny patches of carpet that poked through all the papers.

"Oh ha ha."

"So, Yumeko," Linna spoke up, "when do you plan on going back to school?"

My eyes widened. "School? How can I think about school?"

"Well, I've learned that one of the keys to recovery is getting back to a normal routine as soon as possible, and I think that you getting back to school will really help. All your friends are there."

"All?" I repeated sourly. "Aside from Michiko, I have no real friends there." I suddenly realized something: in the two weeks I'd been in the hospital, Michiko hadn't come to visit me once. What was up with that? I mentioned that to Mom.

"She said that she was sick with the flu," Mom said, "and she didn't want to get you sick when you were trying to recover."

"That's just like Micchan to do that," I said, grinning as I called her by the nickname I'd used for her when we were little. "But she also knows that I wouldn't have cared the least about getting sick if it meant spending a little time with her."

"She cares about you too much to do that," Nene said softly. "Besides, with all that bedrest you had in the hospital, that flu could've developed into pneumonia. I think she knew that."

"Suddenly, school DOES sound like a good idea, aside from all the make-up work I'm gonna have to do," I admitted. "Even though I'm gonna probably make an ass of myself hopping around on those crutches."

"That's why Sylia's set up some therapy sessions," Linna said.

"She did?"

"Of course," Mom said. "Five days a week, you're gonna do some exercises to get your leg back into shape." She grinned slyly. "And hopefully, you WON'T have to make an ass of yourself on those crutches. We could have you walking with a brace in no time."

I paled. "Why am I not looking forward to that…?"

"Nobody said it was going to be a smooth ride," Linna said, grinning much like Mom was. "It's probably going to seem more like hell on earth to you than therapy."

"Couldn't be any worse of a hell than what I've already been through."

* * *

A few days later, the therapy sessions began. Oh boy, would I be eating those words I'd said to Linna, for at her gym, she, Mom, and the others seemed to be on a mission to give me as much pain as humanly possible. The 'hell on earth', as Linna called it, started out when she had me get onto the sit-up bench. After strapping on my new brace, she helped me onto the bench, which was at a sixty-degree angle or something, but still bent enough so that I practically fought tooth and nail against going on it.

"C'mon, you baby," she teased as she put my feet in the proper place. "See, that's not too bad, is it?"

"Easy for you to say," I snapped, my leg heavily protesting this treatment, even though I hadn't even started doing any sit-ups yet.

"Just sit up and try to touch your feet with your hands," she said.

"My leg hurts as it is!! What do you think THAT would do to it?!"

"Yume, you want to walk again, right?" Mom asked calmly.

"Well, yeah, but this isn't what I had in mind in order to be walking again."

"Just think about that Boomer that did this to you. Think about getting it back for what it did. Just like you did after that other Boomer shot you in the shoulder."

"Right now, all I'm thinking about is getting some morphine for my leg," I said. "PLEASE give me some of that."

Mom held up the medicine bottle of morphine and said, "You want this?"

"Yes, yes, please."

"After you do the exercises."

"WHAT?!"

"The pain you have right now is nothing compared to what it's gonna be like after you're done working out that leg. Once you're done, I'll give you the morphine."

"Shit," I cursed, looking up at my feet. _Touch my feet, ha,_ I thought. _They have no idea what they're asking for._ I stretched my arms behind my head, and with one move, I practically threw them towards my feet, slowly easing my way up to a half-sitting position. My leg, already in indescribable pain, only protested more. My stomach, not quite fully healed either, did likewise.

"Ah…ah...oww!!" I yelled, wincing as I edged my way closer to my feet. "I don't think…I can do this!!"

"A little more," Nene cheered, although my hands weren't even past my knees, let alone close to touching my feet.

"It…hurts!!" I whimpered, biting my lip to keep from screaming. After a few more seconds of straining, I finally let out a cry and fell back, hitting my head on the bench.

After Linna helped me off of the bench, Mom said, "You tried. That's ok, we'll try that again some other time."

"I never want to do that again," I groaned, putting my hand to my pounding head. The concussion was still bothering me, and hitting my head on the bench certainly hadn't made it any better, either. I snatched my crutches and started hobbling towards the vending machine when I heard somebody come up behind me.

"C'mon, that couldn't have been the best you could do," I heard a guy tease.

I turned around and snapped, "You don't have a… Leon!!"

"Huh?" Linna and Nene said, turning around.

"Leon, it's been forever!!" Nene exclaimed, clapping her hands together and running towards us. "How've you been?"

"I've been ok," he said, grinning. "How are you ladies doing?"

"Helping Yumeko with her therapy."

"How're you, Priss?" Leon asked, looking at Mom, who was walking towards the four of us.

"I'm fine," she said bluntly.

"Come to see me suffer?" I joked.

"Yep," he said, laughing. "I heard you got out of the hospital a few days ago."

"Yeah. Thank God they released me on the second of April and not the fourth. Talk about bad luck," I laughed nervously.

"Priss," he said suddenly, looking at her, "can I talk to you for a sec?"

"What for?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing that she needs to hear," he said, indicating me. As Leon started to walk to the other side of the gym, Mom reluctantly followed him. _What does Leon need to talk about?,_ I wondered, eyeing him.

"Looks like he's still got a schoolboy crush on her," Linna said.

"No kidding. Stubborn guy," Nene agreed.

"I don't think he's trying to hit on her," I said, noticing the too-casual way in which Leon was acting. I watched as Leon was talking and Mom turned her back on him and said something. He went up behind her and put one hand on her shoulder and one on her side, and suddenly, Mom just freaked out. After she jumped in surprise to his move, she reflexively elbowed him in the chest, making Linna, Nene, and me all jump in surprise.

"What the…?" Linna wondered.

Mom strided back towards us, looking positively shaken up. "Let's go," she ordered.

"What happened, Mom?" I asked.

"Nothing. Let's go," she repeated, heading towards the door. I blinked with confusion as I watched her. What was so weird about Leon putting his hands on her shoulder and side that made her react like that?

"I told you, it's nothing," she said when we were all in Linna's car, heading back to Sylia's penthouse.

"Looked like a whole lot of 'nothing' to me," Nene mumbled.

"Is he the one that attacked you?" I asked, knowing full well how she'd react.

"Is he…hell no!!" she snapped, getting shaken up again. "I'd rather have him be your father than who your real father is though."

"Then what was so bad about him putting his hand on your side?" Linna asked when we stopped at a traffic light.

Mom grumbled and pulled the side of her shirt up, revealing a thin scar. "Take one guess what this is from."

I gasped. "You were…?"

Nene leaned over her seat at Mom and asked, "That guy that attacked you…he stabbed you there?"

Mom closed her eyes and felt the scar with her fingers. "Why else would I have reacted like I did with Leon back there?" she inquired in a low voice. "It was the same move that…that…"

"That 'he' made," I finished, looking out the window.

Mom nodded slowly.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, gazing at the beige-and-brick building that was Kiiroi Hi Senior High. I didn't feel ready to come back to school at all. Sure, it'd been over three weeks since I'd last been there, but my last year at this school had just begun. And knowing that, well, God knows how much homework I'd have to catch up on. Ugh.

"You'll do fine," Mom tried to assure me, gently ushering me towards the front doors.

"Easy for you to say. Y'know how much homework I'm gonna have to catch up on?!"

"No," she said, grinning, "but I'm sure your teachers will understand that you're not gonna be able to make it all up right away."

"I have to make up the finals too."

"Don't worry about all that."

I sighed and walked through the front doors, Mom holding them open for me. I was just about to continue through when all of a sudden, a loud beeping noise stopped us in our tracks. I yelped and nearly fell down with surprise.

"You carrying your gun or something?" I whispered as everyone else stared at us.

"No."

"What's going on?" a campus officer asked, walking up to us.

I scratched the back of my head, leaning on my crutches. "Ah, well, I dunno." Then it hit me. "Oh, right!! That rod!!"

"Rod?" he repeated, confused.

"Yeah," Mom said. "Yume had a rod and plates put in her leg."

"And one in my face," I added, pointing underneath my eye, which still had some faint bruising.

"Walk through, ma'am," he told Mom. She shrugged and walked through the doors again. The metal detectors didn't beep. "Ok, you're clear. I'll take care of your daughter from here."

I looked back at Mom. "Mom, you sure I can handle this by myself?"

"You'll be fine," she said, turning back and exiting the school. I sighed.

"Can I help you get to your locker?" the officer asked.

"No, that's alright," I said, shaking my head.

"There you are!!" I heard a high-pitched voice squeal in delight. I turned around and saw a girl standing there, books in hand, her black blond-streaked hair in a ponytail.

"Michiko!!" I exclaimed.

"You're…you're really here!" she said, getting tears in her eyes. "I…was so afraid that…"

"I'm made of tougher stuff than that," I joked. "You know that!"

"Darn it, Yumeko," she said, walking over and giving me a gentle hug, "how can you joke around like that after…after being shot and stuff…?" Michiko then just let loose, and started crying on my shoulder, hugging me tighter. What could I possibly say in response to that?

"Hey, hey," I said. "Don't worry about my leg, ok? I'll be able to walk soon enough, and then I won't need these crutches anymore."

"But…"

"And besides, right now, there's no time to worry over it, 'cause we're gonna be late for class if you don't let go of me!!" She and I both laughed.

"I suppose so!" Michiko let go and led the way to my first class. _Maybe Mom's right,_ I thought as I followed Micchan. _Maybe it'll all be ok._

* * *

It took a while to get used to my new schedule. For one, I only had half-days at school, because I had to go to my therapy sessions in the afternoon. Not like that mattered though; for me, it meant half the homework!! But of course, I'd be getting tutored for those classes that I couldn't be at school for, but oh well.

My first class was Japanese literature instead of calculus. Boy, did I learn to hate that class quick. The teacher gave each of us a few pages to read out of a chapter, and told us to summarize it. Just looking over those few pages made my head spin. What the hell were they talking about?! Guess that's what happens when you start reading a book at chapter ten instead of the beginning.

"Miss Asagiri," I heard the teacher suddenly call out, "could you summarize pages 111 to 115?"

"Um…" I scratched the back of my head, skimming through those pages for the sixth time. What exactly was I supposed to say? "Well, they…"

"Did you even read them?" he said impatiently.

"Yeah…"

"I gave you fewer pages than everyone else. You should be able to sum them up."

"Well, how am I supposed to understand what's going on if I haven't even read the nine chapters before this one?!" I snapped.

"DON'T talk back to me!!" he shot back, getting in my face. "I am the teacher, I am the one that—"

"Leave her alone!!" Michiko suddenly yelled, jumping out of her desk. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "Look at her! You're scaring her half to death!! You don't even know what she's been through!!"

"Uh, Michiko…" I started to say, my face stark white. "I'm…I'm ok, really…"

"Miss Ishiodori, do you want to go stand in the hall?" he inquired.

"No, I just want you to stop scaring Yumeko!!"

"This is not your concern!" he barked, slamming his fist down on my desk, making me yelp in surprise. I put my hands to the sides of my head and started shaking my head. _Calm down, Yumeko,_ I told myself, trying to keep myself under control. _This bastard's not the Boomer that nearly killed you…he's not the one that cut you open or stomped on you…_

"I must agree," the boy across the aisle from me suddenly said, a boy with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. "The girl does look quite scared."

"Mr. Capri, this is your fourth day here. I don't think you want your record to be messed up already here, do you?"

The new boy eyed me, as if telling me not to freak out. "What does my record have to do with the present situation here?"

"Enough!!" I yelled, gripping my legs with my hands in an effort not to punch the teacher. "Look…can't we just drop this whole thing? It's…it's stupid to be yelling over something so trivial."

Michiko sighed and sat down while the teacher stood back and let out a sigh. "You're right, we let this get out of hand. I'll give you a chance to catch up on the book. Now, can anyone here explain pages 111 to 115?"

After class, as everyone else was leaving, I hobbled over to the boy on my crutches and thanked him.

"It's no problem at all," he said coolly. "You just looked scared out of your mind. I know what you've been through."

"You do?" I asked.

"Your friend's been blabbing about it ever since I first started coming to this school. Kinda hard NOT to know about you."

"What's your name?"

"Boh."

"I think you'll like it at this school," I said, hardly meaning it at all. "Do you have Mrs. Sasaki?"

"Yeah."

"You'll like her. She's much nicer than this bozo of a literature teacher."

"She seems like it," Boh said, grinning. "Maybe…maybe we'll see each other around, then. I have to get to my next class." He brushed past me and walked down the hallway.

"Wow, he actually seemed nice for a moment there," Michiko said dryly, walking up next to me and peering down the hallway at Boh.

"What do you mean?" I inquired as she led me to my next class.

"He just started at this school four days ago, and already, everybody tries to avoid him. He's been so cold, doesn't say a word to anybody, mostly keeps to himself. I don't like his gaze, either. Those grey eyes of his just send chills down my back."

"You make it sound like he's an assassin or something," I joked.

She sighed. "Well, maybe I am a little on edge, after what happened to you and all, but…I just don't like Boh. He's weird."

"He's probably just shy. He's only been here four days, after all."

Michiko shook her head. "He certainly doesn't seem shy to me."

* * *

Late April would normally be my favorite time of year. It was the time that there were the tryouts for the school gymnastics team. It was always fun to see who could prove they were really worthy to be on the team; after all, several people thought gymnastics only consisted of a bunch of 'fancy flips'. But oh, the looks on their faces when they'd see the balance beam and the uneven bars!!

This year was the first year that I wouldn't be trying out for the team; I could barely take a step on my own without falling down, even with the brace, let alone do a double half-twist in mid-air. And for me, the girl who'd won the national championship for 'Kihi' Senior High last year, it was, needless to say, depressing.

"C'mon, you lazy butt!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs from the sidelines as I watched a girl try to balance herself on the balance beam. "Keep your feet on the beam!!"

"Y'know," Linna said, embarrassed, "you, of all people, should know that yelling breaks their concentration."

"With all the girls I've seen try out so far, there's no way the team's gonna even get to the regionals this year, let alone the nationals!" I clenched my hands into fists and waved them in the air. "C'mon!! You can do better than that!!" I yelled as the girl did a very sloppy back-handspring.

"You're probably not helping that poor girl's confidence any."

"Maybe not, but…hey!! She fell off!!" I slapped my hand over my face. "Now if I were down there…"

"Take it easy," she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. "You don't have nearly all your strength back."

"Damn it, I KNOW they can do better…!" I grumbled as I watched the next girl try her luck on the balance beam.

"Ow!" the girl yelled as she fell off after a few simple flips, making me jump to my feet in response.

"C'mon, don't make me come down there!!" I hollered, waving my fists like crazy. The girl, rubbing her back, looked up at me. I grabbed my crutches and hobbled down the stairs towards her.

"What can you do? You're on crutches," she pointed out when I reached her.

"That means nothing," I said, smiling. "Get back up there."

She hesitantly did so. "And now what?"

"You're just nervous because you're being judged on your every move. So Step One is, stop being so damn nervous."

"B-but how?" She immediately stepped off the beam.

"Pretend you're not being watched. Just stare straight ahead, don't look around. Doing that'll only cloud your mind and won't allow you to concentrate. Step Two, remember to breathe. That's not gonna help when you're doing those back-flips."

"Anything else?" she said, looking a little annoyed.

"Yes. Stop being so tense. Having your muscles all tight and clenched like that is not going to be permitting much movement. You look like you have a chance to get on the team, but you just have to relax. It's not like your life depends on whether you mess up or not."

"But…look at you! You won at Nationals, and you were at the World Championships too!"

"Your point?" I said nonchalantly.

"You wouldn't have done all that if you messed up at the beginning, so how can you tell me my life doesn't depend on it?!"

I grinned. "I meant that it's not a matter of life or death. Gymnastics isn't a life, it's a hobby, at least to me. And just because I can't walk at the moment doesn't mean I'm not gonna keep going at it."

She just stood there for a moment, blinking, as if she thought I was out of my mind for saying what I had. Then, she let out a sigh and smiled. "Well, if you say so," she said.

"Clara, you started up gymnastics before I did," I pointed out. "You should've been the one to go to Nationals and stuff."

"Are you still going to try?" one of the judges suddenly asked.

"Um, yes," Clara responded, without looking back at him. "Well, Yumeko, if you really think I'm gonna make the team, then I'll give it my all."

"I'm not going to be able to be on the team this year, so do it for the both of us," I encouraged, playfully slapping her on the back. Once she gave it another shot, I went and sat back down and watched the rest of the girls try out.

* * *

"What the heck was I SAYING?!" I wondered aloud as Linna and I left the gym and headed towards the front doors of the school. Me, telling someone else to calm down and relax? That sounded like something that Sylia or Linna would do, not me. "I sounded like a damn philosopher or something…"

"Too bad you rarely take your own advice," Linna quipped. "Speaking of which, we still need to do your therapy for today. Just because you stayed a couple extra hours at school to watch the tryouts doesn't mean you can skip therapy."

"I know," I said, stopping and looking down at the brace on my leg. A month and a half since that Boomer summit attack…didn't seem like that long. Every day, when I woke up, I felt like I could just jump out of bed and do the things I could always do, but whenever I tried to take a step with my left leg, the reality would hit me like a ton of bricks.

I yelled in rage and threw down my crutches on the floor.

"Hey," Linna said, "what's wrong?"

I stood there, clenching my hands into fists, gritting my teeth. "I…I can't resign myself to a life on crutches…I won't let myself!" The tears started burning underneath my eyelids.

"Nobody said you'd spend the rest of your life on crutches. That's why there're the therapy sessions."

"I have to walk again!!" I swore. "Brace or no brace, I have to walk!!" I took one step forward with my good leg, then took another one with my left one. I cried out in pain, barely managing to stay on my feet. I took some more steps, but once I tried stepping with my bad leg again, I fell down, the pain flaring up in my leg.

"I…I gotta…" I said, the tears starting to run down my cheeks. I forced myself up again and took another step, only to fall down again.

"Don't push yourself," Linna said, looking slightly impressed at the fact that I was at least attempting to walk.

"It's the only way I'll be able…to walk again…" I said, pushing myself up to a sitting position, blinking away the tears. "I told those doctors in the hospital I'd be walking fine in two months. Two months!! And six weeks later…I can barely even take a step…" I let loose right there, letting the tears come. Linna bent down and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Listen, Yumeko. It's not being fair to delude yourself into thinking that you can recover that fast. It's going to take some time. Even Priss knows that a lot of wounds don't heal within a week or however soon you want them to heal up. You can't make your body heal faster than it's able to. You learned that the hard way, remember? When you were exercising your shoulder so much, even though it wasn't ready?"

I sniffled. "Yeah, but…but that's just me being my impatient self… I can't stand being crippled for very long! I want to be able to help everybody out."

"Look, if you tried to jump into battle right now, you'd only be a liability to the team. You know that. It's best to rest up and let yourself recover for as long as is needed. And if that means you're out for four months, well then, so be it. Sylia would tell you the same thing, I'm sure."

"It's…it's just not fair!!" I yelled, slamming my fist into the floor. "I hate this!!"

"It's ok to feel how you feel," Linna assured me, then suddenly brightened. "Besides…why do you think you have a brace now, even though you can barely walk?"

"I dunno, why?"

"Well, nobody said you had to go straight from crutches to walking with a brace. You should try walking using both."

"Both?"

"Yeah, you know, using the crutches while trying to walk using both of your feet. It'll exercise your leg, and it'll make sure you don't fall down after two steps, either."

I chuckled. "That's true…I never tried that…"

She grinned and crossed her arms. "Well, you should, silly. It just might speed up your recovery a little bit."

"You're right, it might. But…"

"Still worried that you might look like an idiot?"

I nodded. "Yeah…"

"You shouldn't worry about that. There's no such thing as recovering 'gracefully'. If it helps you recover a little faster, then what you look like shouldn't matter."

"You should listen to her," I heard Boh say behind me. Linna and I looked up and saw him standing nearby, leaning against some lockers.

"And how long have you been standing there?" I inquired, annoyed.

"Just got here, actually." He walked over towards us and bent down. "You're Miss Yamazaki, correct?" he asked Linna. Both of us blinked in surprise.

"Uh, yeah," Linna said. "How did you know?"

"Yumeko's been talking about you."

_No, I haven't,_ I thought. How would he know Linna's name if I never mentioned her in front of him?

"Yumeko's never mentioned you," Linna said.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" he teased, eyeing me. I scowled.

"This is Boh," I said quickly. "He's new to Kihi."

Linna and Boh stood up, Linna bowing slightly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here," Boh said, bowing his head. He then looked down at me and said, "That floor must be quite comfortable."

"Actually, it is, thanks," I replied dryly, smirking.

"I'd love to stay, but I have a job to go to," he said, turning to walk down the hallway. "Hope you, ahem, get back on your feet soon, Yumeko." He then strided down the hallway, tossing his jacket over his shoulder before walking through the front doors.

"He's a nice boy, isn't he?" Linna asked as I stood up, picking my crutches up off the floor.

"He's all right, I guess."

"How long has he been here?"

"A couple weeks. He says he moved here from Pyongyang."

"He speaks Japanese pretty well for a Korean boy."

"He says his mom is Korean and his dad is Japanese, so he's fluent in both languages."

"Can he keep up with you in English class?" she teased, getting a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"He's doing ok, I suppose. He doesn't volunteer to speak much in English class, or in any of the classes that I have with him."

"What classes do you have with him?"

"Are you trying to see if I have a crush on him or something?" I inquired suspiciously.

Linna smiled innocently. "Well, you're talking about him so much—"

"Only because you wanted to know about him," I responded, hobbling down the hallway on my crutches.

"Don't forget to try to walk with both the crutches and your feet," she reminded me as she followed.

"I gotcha, I gotcha."

* * *

"I'm sorry you weren't able to be on the team this year, Yumeko," Michiko said while the two of us were eating lunch in the cafeteria a few days later.

"It's not…not the end of the world," I tried to assure myself as I took a bite of my sandwich. "There's bigger things to worry about."

"Like the Olympics? Are you still gonna try out for those?"

I nodded. "They're not for another year and a half. By then, my leg should be fine."

"How's your therapy been, by the way? I haven't been able to come over and help you with that. Been able to walk at all?"

"With just the brace?"

"Yeah."

"I can only manage a few steps still, but walking with the brace and the crutches has been helping." Guess Linna's advice wasn't so bad, after all. The first few days I'd tried that, it hurt like hell, as can be imagined, but I forced myself to do it. Pain only lasts for so long, but a physical disability can be there for a lifetime. I couldn't let myself just give up and go hobbling around on crutches all my life. I knew that the path to recovery wouldn't be lined with roses or anything, but it was still harder than I'd imagined.

"Just gotta keep at it," she encouraged, snatching up some udon noodles with her chopsticks and slurping them up. "No pain, no gain, right?"

"No kidding," I said, my leg suddenly starting to throb. I bent down and took off my brace, rubbing the sore spot and practiced bending my leg, wincing when I did.

"Is that as far as you can bend it?" Micchan asked, bending down for a closer look. "That's not much."

"True, but it hurts too much to bend it any more than this," I replied, noting that the most I could bend my leg without yelling in pain was only a mere 20 degrees. "Wanna see the scar?"

She swallowed her noodles. "Uh, sure."

I rolled up my pant leg as far as I could, biting my lip to keep from crying out when I tugged it over the part where I'd been shot. A big red mark, about four or five centimeters in diameter, sat there above my knee. "I'd show you the other side, but I can't lift my leg that high."

"It's…it's just a red knot," she said, her eyes getting wide. "I can't imagine how much that must've hurt."

"Probably a good thing," I said dryly, rolling the pant leg back down and putting my brace on again. "Not something I'd wish upon anybody, even Tsubasa."

"I'm so sorry, Yucchan," she said, shaking her head to get the tears out of her eyes. "I…I'd have taken that for you if given the option."

I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't get all emotional on me. You're gonna make me cry."

"I can't stand the thought of you getting killed, I just can't. When Priss first told me that you were in the hospital, I just freaked out. I was hoping that…that it wasn't bad, but…but then I found out you nearly bled to death, and that you went into cardiac arrest twice, and…"

"I try not to let it go to my head," I admitted, though it did disturb me a bit to learn that my heart had stopped twice, although that certainly did explain why I dreamed about floating to heaven and seeing my dead grandma.

"I don't know how you do it. I'd probably have been confined to a loony bin from all the trauma and stuff. I'd be having panic attacks and be paranoid about everything."

"You say that, but you never really know unless you actually go through something like that."

"That's true…"

"You bastard!!" I heard a boy yell behind me, and then came the sound of crashing chairs as he tackled another boy. Micchan and I jumped at the sound.

"What the…?" Michiko wondered aloud, startled. I turned dead pale as I remembered something else from the episode at the convention center: the Boomer kicking me in the head, sending me crashing into a wall. It hurled its fist at me, and I'd barely jumped to the side in time to avoid being hit as its fist went crashing into the wall instead of through my skull.

The crashing of more chairs as the two boys wrestled on the floor only made that memory more vivid for me. I put my hand to the side of my head, still stuck in that memory, feeling for the cracks in the helmet that I wasn't even wearing at the moment.

"Yumeko?" I heard Michiko say as she put her hands on my shoulders and shook me. "Yumeko? You ok, Yucchan?"

I blinked and looked up at her, my face blank. I slowly shook my head and stood up, as if in a trance, and walked slowly towards the two wrestling boys. When they eventually got up and started wrestling on one of the tables, I clenched my hand into a fist and spoke.

"Hey, you…" I said.

The boy who'd started the fight turned around, and once he did, I punched him right in the face. Other kids who were watching the fight all gasped as he fell down to the floor, putting a hand to his cheek. Michiko jumped out of her seat and took a step back.

"You bitch!!" he snarled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pocket knife. As he made the switchblade pop out, another image flashed in front of my eyes: the second Boomer doing that same move with its lasersword before attacking me and slashing me across the stomach.

The next five minutes after that, I don't remember.

* * *

"Harder, Priss!!" Linna barked at me while I was punching away at the punching bag. "C'mon, I've seen you hit Boomers harder than that!"

As she stood behind it and held it still for me, I stood back, made my hand into a fist, and swung at it, my fist pounding into the bag. I jumped and kicked it like I would have if I had my Leg Bombers, then went punching at it again.

"Can't wait…to get back at Genom for what they did," I panted as I punched again, sweat streaming down my face, making my bangs stick to my forehead.

"I know you want to get them back," she said, eyeing me. "I don't like what they've done, either. But you gotta work harder than this."

"Damn them!!" I cursed, ramming my fist into the bag again.

"Here, c'mon." Linna walked a few steps away from the bag and then stopped and turned towards me. "Come at me."

When I just stood there and didn't do anything, she sighed. "You need to let out all that pent-up energy. C'mon, spar with me." She got into a fighting stance, waiting for my move.

"Remember, you asked for it," I remarked, getting into my own stance, then started to run at her. I swung my fist at her head, but she parried it with her arm. In anger, I started coming at her with everything I had, swinging my fists at her like a madman. She merely stood there and parried them, a sly grin on her face. I stood back to catch my breath, then went forward and did a spinning kick. Linna managed to dodge that too, doing a few back-handsprings before starting on the attack herself, swinging her fists at me in much the same way I'd done. I mimicked what she did and parried them, though one or two blows did hit me in the head. She then ducked down and did a spinning swipe, using her leg to knock me off my feet. I yelped and fell down hard on the mat.

"Can you get up?" she asked mockingly, standing over me with an evil grin.

"I'm fine," I grumbled, pushing myself to my feet.

"You can go hit the showers now. I gotta lead a lesson real quick."

Being covered with sweat and such, I reluctantly agreed and went to the showers, and spending a God-awful long time in there, just standing there and letting the hot water pour over my body. Felt good to just stand there and do nothing for once, to just relax.

Once I got out, I dried myself off and got back into my regular clothes, but once I was about to leave, Linna came running to me, telling me to wait.

"What now?" I asked, noticing the worried look on her face.

"Yumeko's school just called," she said. "They said she got into a fight during lunch."

"Just when I was gonna go pick her up, too," I quipped.

She shook her head. "It's serious. From the way they described it, it sounds pretty bad."

"Is she ok?"

"Yeah, SHE'S fine. But the other kid…the person that called me said that she nearly strangled the other boy to death before they were finally able to break up the fight."

"Oh God," I mumbled. I knew about what she had done to that one girl at school the day after getting her wrist broken and shit; she'd simply been pushed too far. If what Linna had been told was true, then Yume must have had a blackout similar to that one. I started to run out the door when Linna yelled.

"Wait!" she called out. "I could go with you!"

"No, that's ok," I said. "I'll handle this." After I put on my helmet, I climbed onto my motorcycle and sped off towards Yume's school. Damn it, what had happened now?!

* * *

I sat there on the couch outside of the principal's office, Michiko sitting next to me. What had I done, exactly? I remembered that other boy pulling out a knife, but everything after that was a blur. _I really did it this time,_ I thought with dread as I looked at the bandage wrapped around my hand.

"So…what did I do, exactly?" I asked Michiko.

Her eyes widened. "You don't remember anything?"

"No. I just blacked out. I don't even know how I got this," I said, pointing to the bandage on my hand.

"Well…after that boy pulled out that knife, he leaped at you…and you just freaked. I didn't believe it when I saw it, and I still don't, but…you slapped the knife aside, like it was nothing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's how you cut your hand. But you didn't even seem to notice it. You just…leaped on him and started pummeling him. You sure you don't remember any of it?"

"If I did remember, I wouldn't be asking how I got cut, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess… Doesn't that hurt?" she asked, pointing to my hand.

"No."

"It sure looks like it hurts."

"Compared to getting shot, it doesn't hurt."

Michiko chuckled nervously. "Yeah, compared to that, I suppose it wouldn't."

"So what did I do then?"

"Other kids were cheering you on while you were pummeling him. Go figure. I just stood there in shock. I knew I couldn't jump in, because you were half-insane then. But anyway, you put your hands around his neck and just started squeezing."

I paled. "Um…did I…say anything funny…?"

She blinked as she thought for a moment. "Yeah, you did. You were saying something like, 'Don't you hurt my mom anymore' or something like that."

"Just wonderful," I groaned.

"I figure it's just because you're so protective of her, and that…that maybe at that moment, you were just so caught up in your memories of the convention center exploding that…"

"I don't like seeing Mom hurt," I admitted nonchalantly.

"I wouldn't like seeing my mom hurt either," she concurred. "Well, you strangled that kid till he passed out, and then I managed to pull you off of him. Then you just started screaming and crying, saying stuff like 'Get away from me!!' and 'No! Leave me alone' and stuff. I've never seen you so scared and freaked out like that before."

"I didn't…hit you, did I?"

Michiko shook her head, making me let out a sigh in relief.

"I can't control myself when I black out. I don't know what I'm capable of…"

"Try telling that to the principal," she groaned. "Fat chance he'll believe any of what you've told me."

"I'm probably gonna get expelled or sent to a mental institution or somethin'. I nearly killed him and I didn't even know it."

Our conversation was interrupted when the door to the office opened, and through the door stepped Mom. I looked up at her, my body starting to shake.

"Mom, I…"

"What happened, Yume?" she asked immediately.

"I…I blacked out again…I nearly killed him…" I stared down at my hands, not believing I nearly did kill someone with them.

"So I heard. What happened to your hand?"

"She slapped away the knife the other boy pulled on her," Michiko said, cutting in. "You would've had to see it to believe it."

"How's he doing?"

I pointed to the principal's office. "He's all right now. He's in there. I think he's gonna get expelled for bringing that knife, but I dunno what's gonna happen to me." I sighed with dread right as the door to the principal's office opened up. When that boy emerged, he glared at me, his face covered with bruises. I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my head. "I think I can explain…"

"You--!!" he yelled, charging towards me suddenly. A school administrator that had been in the office with him darted forward and held him back.

"Come on now, Eiji," the lady said, pulling him back. "Calm down."

"That bitch!!" he snarled, struggling to get free.

"He doesn't learn, does he?" Michiko mumbled, looking on in wonder.

"I guess not," I agreed.

Once the administrator led him out of the office and down the hallway, the principal walked over to Mom, Michiko, and I, saying, "Yumeko, your turn."

"How sad that you're on a first-name basis with the principal," Michiko groaned as the two of us stood up. Mom leaned over and grabbed my crutches and gave them to me. I stood there with them for a moment, then dropped them to the floor.

"Yume?" Mom asked, curious.

"I don't want to use them," I said, taking a step forward with my good leg, then my bad one.

"Sometime today," the principal quipped, stepping aside.

"Yumeko, you're walking!!" Michiko said in awe, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Hardly," I responded, waiting a few seconds before taking a few more steps. I held my arms out to my sides to keep me steady. Mom grinned as she watched.

By the time I got inside the principal's office and was sitting in one of the chairs, my leg was throbbing, and the pain made my eyes water, but it felt good in a strange sort of way. Felt good just to walk on my own again. As the principal sat down in his chair, Mom sat next to me, and Michiko was about to sit in the last remaining one when he said, "You don't need to be here. This is not your concern."

"It IS my concern," Michiko replied, not moving. "Yumeko's my friend, and besides, I saw what happened. She doesn't remember any of it herself."

Principal Vermotti raised an eyebrow. "Yumeko, you don't recall anything?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

"If I recall, that's the same thing you said after you were in a fight with Ana Kuramoto."

"But it's true!" Michiko protested.

"I wasn't speaking to you," Mr. Vermotti snapped. "Now, can you explain what happened?"

"I can't. Like I said, I don't remember anything that happened after Eiji pulled that knife on me," I repeated. "Michiko can explain it better than I can."

"So…why can't you remember anything after that moment?"

I fidgeted, not believing that he was asking this. "Well, it made me remember something that happened the night the convention center exploded, and I…I blacked out." I heard Mom let out a sigh next to me.

"What did you remember?"

I blinked, the palms of my hands starting to sweat. "What did I…"

"Yes."

"I…I remembered when I got THIS!!" I snapped, lifting up my shirt, revealing the long scar on my stomach. Mom looked away. "That should explain it!!"

"And how did you get that?" he asked, unabashed.

I paled, then scowled, pulling my shirt down. "Is this a quiz show or something?"

"Well, I need to know so I can figure out why you blacked out when Eiji pulled the knife out, if that's what you did. It must've been something horrible if it made you react in such a manner as to nearly asphyxiate him to death."

"There was nothing pleasant about it," Mom interrupted. "Everything that happened that night was horrible. Why force Yume to bring it up again?"

"Because we need to assess whether or not your daughter will need psychiatric help to deal with the trauma."

"I don't need no help from any stupid doctors!!" I snapped. "I've seen more doctors than I ever cared to see."

"Yume has the support of me and her friends," Mom said calmly. "She doesn't need to see any quack about this. It's something she'd rather not discuss for obvious reasons, so why not just let it be?"

I looked at her curiously. Mom sounded so cool and calm about all this; it was like she'd rehearsed it out in her head two thousand times. Wasn't she concerned that our identities as Knight Sabers might be exposed if we said the wrong thing by mistake?

"Another thing I've been wondering about, Miss Asagiri," Mr. Vermotti said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"In the past few months, it's come to the attention of the school administration…"

_Oh God,_ I thought, trying to swallow the lump in my throat that had settled there. _Here it comes…_

"…that Yumeko's been coming to school with some unusual injuries, starting in about November, I believe. One day, she came to school with a cast on her wrist…"

"She told me it was from a bike accident she had," Michiko said.

"Um," he said, looking down at some papers in a manila folder that he held. "And about a week after that, she had her right arm in a sling."

"Yume and I were over at my friend's apartment, and the Boomer that had gone on a rampage came stomping through the complex," Mom explained. "Linna and I stayed inside, but Yume tried to make a break for it and ran into the Boomer, and she got shot."

Michiko and I both nodded. "She has the scar to prove it," Michiko said, pointing at my shoulder. I pulled on the neck of my shirt and showed him the scar.

"Well, that would explain it. But…you also happened to be near the convention center when it exploded?"

I paled even more than I already had, and slowly nodded. "Some luck of the draw, eh?" How in the world had we gotten so far off course from what I'd come in here for? Nobody was even mentioning the fight anymore. And not to mention that Mr. Vermotti looked like he wasn't buying our excuses very well, although the explanation for why I came to school with my arm in a sling wasn't actually very far from the truth. My body went numb as I got more nervous about it.

"Miss Asagiri, I believe that you need to take better responsibility for Yumeko here," he said, setting down the folder on his desk. "I understand perfectly well that you want her to have some freedom, but that doesn't mean you can let her be reckless and go chasing Boomers just for the thrill of seeing them in person."

"I don't chase Boomers!!" I yelled, although that was exactly what Mom and I did when duty called. Mom started to look a little annoyed at the fact that the principal was accusing her of being a negligent parent. Couldn't blame her one bit. And the longer this dragged on, the tighter my chest became. It was at the point where it felt like my heart stopped. I sucked in a breath, trying to calm myself down.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I'm…I'm ok," I said. Mom looked over at me and put one hand on top of mine.

"You sure you'll be ok?" she asked, concerned. I nodded slowly.

"I just…need to get some air. It's…a bit stuffy in here," I lied, starting to stand up.

"Stay seated until we're finished, Yumeko," Mr. Vermotti said.

"I can't breathe," I snapped, putting my hand to my throat and squeezing my eyes shut. Another flashback was coming to me: when the Boomer had strangled me to unconsciousness. _Remember, you're not there anymore, _I tried to remind myself. _It's not real, it's not here. The Boomer's dead, it can't do anything to you anymore…_

"I think we should go," Mom said, noticing I was trembling like crazy with the memory.

"We still need to figure out what to do about what happened today, Miss Asagiri," Mr. Vermotti reminded her, unfazed by my panic attack.

"I don't see how you can be dwelling on that when Yume's being eaten alive by her flashbacks," Mom barked.

"Yumeko, you ok?" Michiko asked, looking more than a little concerned.

"No," I groaned, still trying to get my breath back.

"Well, Yumeko," Mr. Vermotti said, "whether you acted against Eiji of your own free will or not, I believe appropriate action must be taken. I've decided to suspend you for a week, to let you think about what you did, and to learn to control—"

"I can't control it!!" I yelled. "How am I supposed to know what makes me black out and what doesn't?! Once I black out, I can't control what I do!! Michiko's said it enough times; she was there!! She saw that I went nuts when Eiji pulled that knife out!! It's not my fault that…that…" I put my hand to my stomach, feeling the scar underneath my shirt, trying not to let the memory engulf me again.

Michiko looked down at her feet and fidgeted. "It's true… You can't punish Yumeko for something she didn't have any control over. She's traumatized, you can't punish her for being traumatized. It's…it's not right!" Her eyes started welling up with tears again. "I'd say getting all the injuries that Yucchan's gotten is enough punishment, not to mention the flashbacks and everything else…"

Mom leaned back in her chair and nodded slowly in agreement.

"Michiko…" I said, looking at her.

Mr. Vermotti sighed and put the manila folder on his desk. "Well…I'm not entirely made of stone, you know, as much as you seem to think that I am. I think we can work something out."

"Good," Michiko said, sighing. "Yumeko's already missed nearly a month of school. The last thing she needs is to miss another week because of this."

"Got a point there," Mom agreed, folding her arms behind her head and leaning back against the wall.

* * *

"That…went better than I thought," I said, letting out a sigh in relief. After some talking, Mr. Vermotti decided not to suspend me after all. Thank God Michiko was there with us, or I would've had a hard time explaining why I'd attacked Eiji out of panic.

"No kidding," Mom agreed, starting up her bike. "Then again, how many people would've believed you? Not many."

"When do you think…think I'll be able to go into battle with you and the others again?" I asked in a low voice as I got on behind her.

She sighed. "Not for a while. You need to get your leg healed up first before you can even consider it."

"That's gonna take forever though."

"And besides, your leg isn't the only thing that you need to let recover."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you need to let yourself recover emotionally, too. C'mon, if you freak out at the sound of falling chairs, how do you think you're gonna react out there with real Boomers?"

I contemplated that for a few seconds, then hung my head and sighed. "I…guess you're right about that…"

As we got farther away from the school and eventually were on the highway, I asked Mom something else.

"Weren't you afraid back there? About the principal suspecting that we're Knight Sabers?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she thought about it for a couple of seconds, then said, "Is that what you're scared of?"

"Well…he certainly did seem to be a bit curious about how the hell I got all those injuries over the months."

She chuckled. "I suppose I didn't tell you it when you first joined, but you gotta learn to be a good liar. A bad lie is only going to make people want to keep an eye on you to see what you're doing."

"Speaking of which…I don't think Michiko's buying everything I've told her. I think she's starting to get a bit suspicious herself. I mean, how convenient is it that I seem to be at the scene of several of the Boomer attacks? And to 'get into a bike wreck' a week before I was shot the first time?"

"You're telling most of the truth, though, with that story. You weren't in your suit then, so there's not much to have to make up."

"Yeah, but…when you were still an underground singer, didn't the band get suspicious when you kept showing up with weird bruises and stuff?"

"I wouldn't show up, period," she admitted flatly. "I'd just call in and say I wasn't able to perform that night."

"Wouldn't they still…?"

She laughed. "They had to put up with it. Being in the band was our main source of income then. And besides, I was the lead singer, and still am. They couldn't throw me out if they wanted to!"

On a whim, I started singing some of the lyrics to Mom's _Konya wa Hurricane_ song. "_Big City kodoku na Heart To Heart…_"

Mom chimed in, and we both sang, "_Minna ai no mayoigo. Big City namida wa Day By Day, nemurenai omoi o yusaburu dakeee!!_"

We kept singing like that, all the way to Linna's gym.


	3. Birthdays in the morning mist

"Oh, don't you just love this weather!" Nene squealed as she laid back in her chair, basking in the mid-May sun. "Soooo much better than wearing jeans and a coat all the time, that's for sure."

"Don't redheads burn easily?" Mom teased, testing the water in Sylia's pool with her toe before jumping in.

"Yeah," she shot back. "I'm not dumb enough to enjoy all of this sun without loads of sunscreen, you know."

"This is great," I breathed to myself, leaning back on the towel I had sprawled out on the ground, closed my eyes, and let the heat of the sun cover my body. This was one of the few instances I'd allowed myself to relax lately, truly relax, and just let my worries float away. To feel normal, just for an instant, was all I wanted, and I hadn't been able to feel that way, not since the Boomer summit.

"I think your skin's dark enough, Yumeko," I heard Linna quip. "With that natural tan, I don't think it can get any darker."

"Is that a challenge?" I dared, grinning behind my sunglasses.

"Here's some refreshments," Sylia said, coming outside holding a tray with glasses of lemonade. Nene got up and snatched up a glass while Mom opted to remain in the pool, floating on her back. As Sylia sat down at the table and took a glass herself, she looked down at me and said, "Yumeko, do you want a glass?"

"No thanks, I'm ok," I responded, stretching my limbs, which in turn made my bad leg twinge a little.

"You know, since it's almost summer, I believe this would be a good time to start some water therapy."

"Water therapy?"

"Doing some exercises in the pool, like kicking your legs."

"I wouldn't mind that." I sat up. "Better than being cooped up in a sweaty gym for a few hours every day."

"You look a little nervous," Linna pointed out.

"Well…I'd be fine with some water exercises, as long as…nobody tries to dunk me." Linna laughed out loud.

"I thought you got over that little fear."

I paled. "I can't help it if I don't like practical jokes being played on me in water."

"Let's try out some exercises now," Sylia said. "This is as good a time as any."

Linna bent down to help me to my feet, but I shook my head and stood up myself, on wobbly legs. I took one step forward, and then one with my bad leg. It trembled under the weight, but didn't buckle on me. After a few slow and very wobbly steps, I made it to the pool, my leg protesting the effort of just walking the few meters there.

"Doing pretty good for not even having your brace on," Nene exclaimed, sipping her lemonade through a straw.

"Need help getting in?" Mom asked, now at the edge of the pool.

I shook my head. "I can do it," I assured her. I bent down on my good leg and eased my other leg into the water. I gasped with how cold the water was, but after sitting there for a few seconds, letting my leg get used to the temperature, I eased the rest of my body in.

"Ok, now just hang on to the edge of the pool, and let your body float," Sylia said. I obeyed. "Now kick your legs just like when you're swimming."

"Ow," I said when I tried doing the kicking motion with my bad leg, but I figured the sooner I got this done, the better, so I kept on kicking. But, well, every time I did kick with that leg, I'd be saying, "Ow. Ow. Ow." And so on.

"You're doing fine, Yume," Mom said.

"I think my leg's starting to stiffen up," I groaned after I'd been kicking for about two minutes. "It feels heavy."

"That should be enough," Sylia said after another minute or so. Mom helped me out of the pool, and once I was out, I started rubbing my sore leg. It certainly wasn't used to that kind of treatment, and so naturally, it didn't really want to bear much weight at the moment. So when I started swaying a bit, I wasn't surprised. I WAS surprised, however, when I suddenly lost my balance and fell backwards, right back into the pool.

I felt the water whoosh in over my head as I went completely under. I waved my arms in panic, trying to grab onto something and try to keep from gagging on the water that rushed into my mouth and up my nose. I tried to swim upwards, or at least in the direction which I thought was up, when I felt someone grab me by the arm and pull me up.

"You ok, Yumeko?!" Nene asked as Mom dragged me back onto the poolside and wrapped my towel around me.

I coughed. "I g-guess I'm ok now," I sputtered. "Didn't…I say I didn't want anyone dunking me?!"

"Nobody dunked you though," Linna said, then smiled. "It's strange. You're hydrophobic, yet when that one Boomer dragged Nene underwater, you didn't hesitate to jump in to save her."

"That was different," I spat. "She was in trouble then. I DID hesitate though, at first, but saving her was more important than my fear of having water over my head."

"I thought that woulda been enough to help you conquer that little fear," Nene joked, although she had paled at the memory.

"Like hell it was," I grumbled, then calmed down as I thought of something else. It was mid-May, right? That meant that Mom's birthday was coming up, and Sylia's as well. I still needed to get them something…

It also made me realize something else: it had been just over two months since the Boomer summit attack. I hadn't dared take a look at my hardsuit since that day; I didn't want to know how badly I'd really been beaten up. Mackie had told me a couple days before that they hadn't repaired mine yet, in case I wanted to see it, but I still had mixed feelings about it.

"Two months," I muttered. "It's been two months already…"

"Yeah…" Mom admitted, her eyes growing hard.

"Hard to say whether it seems like forever since that day, or whether it just seems like yesterday, isn't it," Linna wondered aloud.

"Well…after two months, I can manage to walk with that brace," I said, "so how about this? I'll bet you that by six months, I'll be walking on my own."

"That leaves you four months," Nene said. "You'll probably have to work hard at your therapy sessions to make that date."

"I'm trying to be realistic here," I reluctantly admitted. "I…I know it's probably bullheaded of me to think I could walk on my own by next month, even though I'd love to be able to."

"If you work extra hard," Sylia said, "you just might be able to do that by the five-month mark."

"That soon?" I asked.

"That's what the doctors said."

"Yeah!" Linna exclaimed. "I told Priss that night that that just means without ANY support, meaning we could have you in just a leg sleeve by the three- or four-month mark. But of course, that means you'd have to work extra extra hard."

"Bring it on," I encouraged, clenching my hands into fists. "It's nothing I can't handle."

She grinned evilly. "Oh, you sure about that? 'Cause I know some stuff that'll whip that leg into shape real quick. It'll work out your whole body, too. Can't just concentrate on your leg, y'know."

"Oh, I know. I've been doing some weight training in the weights room at my school during my gym class, since I can't go out with the other kids."

"You thought that pansy stuff we started with at the beginning was tough? You ain't seen nothin' yet."

I scratched the side of my head. "Is THIS what you meant by the 'hell on earth' you were talking about early on?"

Linna responded by merely grinning.

"I showed her some information about the training that Navy SEALs do," Sylia said. "Some of the exercises you do will be the same ones they do."

"You were in on this too?!" I shouted, hardly believing it, yet it seemed just like Sylia to do just that.

"We need you back in shape. Four Knight Sabers aren't as effective as five are, even with the Motoslaves."

"I…I'll try as hard as I can, Sylia," I swore, looking at the faint scar that now was across the back of my hand. "Those bastards won't know the meaning of fear until they've seen me back in action. I can promise that."

* * *

"I think I know what I can get Mom for her birthday," I told myself as I pulled on a sports bra and some shorts, then strapped on my brace. "Only one thing she'd want…"

I was so excited about going out and looking for a present for Mom that I practically skipped down the stairs, even though my brace prevented me from doing much other than limping along. Something about the summer air, I suppose. It made me real excited, made me want to just get out and do something besides lay around and sleep the day away. As I limped down the street towards a bus stop – I wasn't able to ride my motorcycle just yet – I rattled off in my head the things that I could get Mom. A guitar, maybe a new jacket? Hmm, I'd have to see what the shops in Ginza offered before I could make any decision.

As I climbed onto the bus, I went and took one of the few empty seats left. It didn't take long before the other passengers started gawking at me. They tried not to make it too apparent, but their gazes, then quickly turning away and whispering to the person next to 'em while pointing at me got a bit annoying.

"Do you have a problem with my scar?" I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How…did you get it?" one guy asked, pointing at my stomach.

"I got attacked a couple months back. Got cut across the stomach and nearly bled to death," I said quickly.

"And, um, why do you have that thing on your leg?"

"I was shot there by the same bastard that cut me. Any other questions?"

The crowd quickly grew silent and looked away, and we all sat there occupied by our own thoughts until we each got to our respective stops.

Once I got off at my stop, I was immediately greeted by the rushing crowd, getting shoved about almost the instant I stepped off the bus. I slowly shoved my way through and went down the street towards Guitar City. Mom had said that they had some of the best guitars in town, and although I wasn't a guitar buff, I figured she'd know as well as anybody which shops to go to when it came to instruments.

As with on the bus, people in the crowd took second glances at me when I passed. A few even looked like they felt a bit sorry for me, like they were wondering why a teenager was walking around with a brace on her leg. For a moment, I wondered the same thing. _Hey, it's not like I want to be wearing this thing either,_ I wanted to tell them.

I arrived at Guitar City and walked inside, expecting a fair-sized crowd. And there was; about fifteen or so people were scattered through the store, looking at this model of guitar or that. I limped slowly towards the back of the store, where the nicer models were usually kept. A few guys at the rack I was heading towards looked back towards me, and once they saw my brace, immediately backed away and let me through. I didn't say anything, but kept my thoughts to myself. I didn't want them treating me any different just because I was in a brace, but then again, at least I wouldn't have to fight to look at the guitars I wanted to check out.

"Do you need help with anything?" I heard a man ask. I turned around and saw a guy standing there wearing a rock shirt with a name tag on it. I assumed he worked there.

"Yeah, actually I do," I admitted, turning to look at the guitars again. "I'm looking for a nice guitar for my mom, for her birthday."

"What kind does she like?"

"Well, she's not gonna want a banjo or yukelele," I quipped. He laughed.

"An electric guitar, perhaps?"

"Yeah, she'd probably want one of those."

He looked at me intently, then said, "You look kinda familiar. Who's your mom?"

"Priss Asagiri."

"Oh, the Replicants singer!! I KNEW you looked familiar!!" He grinned. "Yeah, I think I know which guitar she'd like best."

"How would you know?"

"I've seen her in concert and listened to her CDs and stuff. I can tell she doesn't settle for any cheap-ass shit from those second-hand shops."

My eyebrow twitched. This guy knew about what kind of guitar Mom would use more than I did? "Well, no, she usually wants the best of the best, I'm sure," I said, getting annoyed.

"Here's one she'd like," he said, taking a green-and-black model off the rack.

"Not that one," I said quickly.

"Huh? What's wrong with it?"

"The colors. I doubt she'd use a green and black guitar. I'd say more like a red-and-black one, or a red-and-white one."

"Here we go, then," he said, putting the first one back and taking out a red-and-black one. It reminded me of one of those old V-shaped guitars that used to be popular before I was born, but it certainly did look like a guitar Mom would like.

"Let me try it out," I said, taking it from him and hooking it up to an amplifier. I strummed on it one string at a time, and the sound came out loud and clear, but a bit harsh. I tightened the strings, then tried again. "Hey, this one's pretty cool."

"Ok then. Lemme go get the case for it." He trotted off to a back room to get the case while I decided to take a look at the price tag.

"Shit, 50,000 yen?" I groaned. I knew it was too good to be true. But then again…I'd seen guitars before that were 90,000 yen – in other words, complete ripoffs – so 50,000 for one like this didn't seem too bad.

The guy came back with the case. "So, just to be sure, is that the one you want?" he asked.

"Yeah, this'll be fine," I said.

"All righty," he said, walking over behind the main desk to the cash register. I followed, and after he put the guitar in the case, I forked over the money. As I took the case in my hand and tried to head towards the door with it, I nearly fell over; my lame leg didn't like carrying so much extra weight.

"Think you'll be ok?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," I said, opting to carry the case with my right hand instead my left, and limped out the door, several of the other people in the store snickering at the sight of me at the same time. _Assholes,_ I thought as I left the store and headed down the street towards the bus stop again.

I was almost there when I suddenly just started feeling uneasy. Something about all the peacefulness of the moment, I suppose, but for some strange reason, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Something didn't seem right. It felt like someone was watching me. I looked behind my back to look for anyone suspicious-looking, but there was nobody that looked out of the ordinary. I sighed and got on the bus home.

As the bus rumbled down the street, I looked out the window to the sidewalk I'd just been on. Turning onto a different street was a tall boy with a familiar black ponytail.

* * *

"Ok, what's with all the secretiveness today?" Mom inquired when I wouldn't stop grinning like a moron.

"No reason," I said. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem like you've been hiding something, what with all the grinning and fidgeting and all," she replied, smiling.

"Oh, no, just excited that it's your birthday today, that's all."

"You act like it's YOUR birthday today! You're that hyper, I swear."

"Nah." _When is she gonna get here?,_ I wondered. It was five in the afternoon now, and I'd been killing myself trying not to spoil anything for Mom. I just knew she'd love that guitar I bought her, and I suppose she was right when she said I was more excited than she was. I looked out the window towards the parking lot, but nobody was there. I sighed.

"Waiting for someone?"

"Just, ah, wondering when the others are gonna get here."

"You didn't have to throw a whole party for me," she said, indicating the kitchen. I'd blown up some balloons and let them float around the apartment, and I'd also bought some birthday plates and a cheap birthday tablecloth. The cake was still in the oven, and the smell of German chocolate cake permeated the air.

"I'm…just in a festive mood," I said quickly, giggling. "A birthday is an occasion worthy of celebrating, right?"

"I find nothing about turning forty-two worth celebrating," she joked. "Besides, you'll be seventeen soon, we shoulda kept the party favors packed up till THEN."

"Well, too late now," I joked. I took a peek outside the window, and just at that moment, I saw Linna's van pull into the parking lot. "Be right back. I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Sure you are," she said, winking. I limped out the door and hurried as fast as I could – which, well, wasn't very fast, obviously – down the stairs and out to the parking lot. The side door of the van then opened, and Michiko peeked her head out, looking around.

"Is it ok?" she asked. I nodded, and she quickly stepped out, the guitar case in her arms. I motioned for her to run inside, which she did instantly. After Michiko was out of sight, Nene stepped out of the van, and Linna came out of the other side.

"Thanks, you guys," I said.

"I'm sure Priss is just THRILLED about you deciding to throw a party for her," Nene said sarcastically.

"Oh, she is," I said with much the same tone. "And Sylia's birthday is in another four days. Just wait till then!!" I laughed at the thought.

"And then there's yours," Linna added, winking. "What do you want, by the way?"

"How long should I wait here?" I suddenly heard Michiko yell from the doorway.

"What I want…is to see the look on Mom's face when she sees the present to her!" I wisecracked, grinning widely.

"My arms are starting to hurt!" Micchan jokingly groaned.

"We should get inside before her arms fall off," Nene deadpanned as we all walked inside. While everyone else was walking down the hallway and up the stairs at a brisk pace, I was left hobbling behind.

"Wait up," I said. "Since when did you all start walking so fast?"

"This is how we normally walk. It's just that you're so slow," Linna laughed.

"Oh, ha ha. Well, 'scuse me for having a lame leg…" I then noticed that Michiko was carrying something in her hand besides the guitar case. "What's with the branch?"

Michiko smiled. "It's a cherry blossom branch. They bloom about this time of year, right? So I figured I could give Priss one."

"I dare you to call her Sakura." Michiko doubled over in laughter; 'sakura' means 'cherry blossom', so I figured it'd be more than appropriate to try to call her by that name. Both Nene and Linna grinned at the thought.

When we arrived at the door to my apartment, I shushed them and told all three to stand aside and out of sight. I opened the door and walked in, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Enjoy your walk?" Mom joked.

"I did, actually. Just needed some fresh air, that's all." I cleared my throat loudly.

"You ok?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and getting that mischievous twinkle in her eye that said she was on to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's wrong with clearing my throat?"

I heard a knock on the door, and rolled my eyes sarcastically. "Now, who could that be?" I said in a very overly curious tone.

"Gee, I wonder," she said, walking to the door. When she opened it, there stood Linna and Nene, not looking too much out of the ordinary, except that Nene couldn't keep a silly grin from spreading across her face. "Heh, what's up? Finally get some last night, Nene?"

Nene turned as red as her hair. "What…what's that mean?!"

"We just, ah, wanted to wish you a happy birthday, Priss," Linna said.

"What timing. Yume just got back from a walk, too," Mom said, grinning and eyeing me. "You didn't happen to meet up with each other, did you?"

"Nope, didn't see her."

"Nope," Nene said, still blushing like crazy. "We didn't see her at all."

"Well, while you're here, how about we have some cake?" I said, then quickly looked at the timer on the stove. One minute left before the cake was done. Perfect.

"What kind?" Nene asked, her eyes brightening.

"German chocolate."

"I…LOVE…German chocolate!!" I heard Michiko exclaim, wheezing as she came to the door, exhausted from holding the guitar case for so long. I noticed she wasn't holding it now, but after cradling it for so long, I'm sure her arms musta been killing her.

"Heh, and I suppose you just 'happened' to stop by and pick Michiko up too, Linna?" Mom asked slyly.

"Yeah," Linna said, walking inside to help me take out the cake from the oven when the timer went off.

"This…this is for you," Michiko told Mom, holding out the cherry blossom branch.

Mom took it in her hand and stood there, looking at the blossoms. "It's…pretty."

"I figured you would like it," she said, grinning. "They're the prettiest at this time of year."

"Thanks."

"Um…Yumeko got something for you, too." Michiko stood there awkwardly, twirling her necklace around her finger while looking at me to see if it was ok to say anything. I mouthed, "It's fine," to her and set the cake on top of the stove to let it cool.

"Oh, she did?" Mom looked at me out of the corner of her eye, like she was asking, "Ok, what did you get me, Yume?"

"Yeah. Do you wanna see it?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Ok, lemme go get it." She darted out the door to get the guitar while Nene came into the kitchen to help Linna and me with the cake.

"So…what did you plan now, Yume?" Mom asked.

"Oh, nothing," I said innocently.

"Well, Michiko seems excited enough about it. Must be something good."

"She gets excited over everything," I laughed.

"Here we go!" Michiko squealed as she reentered the apartment, cradling the guitar case in her arms. Mom raised an eyebrow at the sight, and slowly walked towards her. "This is from Yumeko, Priss. She and I both think you'll just love it."

Mom took the guitar case from Michiko and set it down on the floor, opening it up. When she saw the guitar, a huge grin spread across her face. Mission accomplished.

"Like it?" I asked, grinning widely. Mom mouthed something to herself in response, and judging from how they moved, I'd guess she'd said, "Kick ass!" or something similar. She took it out of the case and hooked it up to the amplifier. She strummed on it a few times, then chuckled.

"You really know how to pick out guitars, I must say," Mom said, playing a section from one of her songs.

Michiko recognized the part instantly, and started singing the lyrics that went with that part. "_Anata no egao o…_"

"_…Omoidashitai, Forever More_," I finished. Mom, Linna, and Nene all grinned in response. Mom continued to play the part, and Michiko and I both decided to keep singing.

"_First Kiss o omoidasu no ka? Are wa anata o aishita sono toki ni_."

Mom took over the rest of the verse, singing, "_Anata o aishita, dakara…watashi o aisuru dekinakatta naze ka?_"

"I didn't expect this to turn into Karaoke Night," Nene said, laughing and clapping at the same time. "It's almost like…" She stopped talking and covered her mouth, looking down meekly at the floor.

"Like what?" I inquired, curious.

"Like…like nothing," she said hurriedly, trying to cover her tracks. I looked over to Mom, who was looking away from everyone with a look in her eyes I'd come to know over the past few months. It was the same look she got in her eyes when she told us she'd been stabbed by the guy that had attacked her all those years ago. I sighed at the sight and mumbled to Nene, "Don't say anything else, Nene. You got her upset now."

"I didn't mean it," she said in a low voice.

"What are you guys talking about?" Michiko asked.

"I'll explain later," I told her.

After Mom calmed down and Nene apologized about thirty times, we were able to decorate the cake and sing Happy Birthday to her. She opened the presents she got from everyone else, and thanked them. But somehow, I could still tell she was still more than a bit disturbed at what Nene brought up. After everyone left, I asked her about it, not expecting a complete answer. Boy, was I surprised when she revealed as much as she did.

"That night…Linna, Nene, and I had gone out to Hot Legs to party. I'd just gotten home from my tour a couple weeks before, as you know, so I wanted to do something fun. We went there, and it was Karaoke Night, which was something the people there had started to do recently. I had a few shots, and figured I'd give the karaoke bit a shot. Everyone hooted and hollered, of course, since I was the most popular singer anywhere at that time, and who woulda expected ME to be doing karaoke? I did a few of my songs, including _Konya wa Hurricane_ at least three times, 'cause people just love that song."

"I suppose I don't have to ask which night it was?"

"No, you don't," she said flatly. "That's why Nene stopped talking about it right away. You probably figured that out by yourself."

"Yeah."

"Well, after a few rounds, Nene was pretty much plastered, and was starting to do her stripping thing, when Linna decided to drag her home before she did anything really stupid. I told 'em I'd stay a little while longer, so they left and I was there by myself. After I'd had enough of doin' karaoke, I was sitting there at the bar, sipping on a margarita, when this guy sits down next to me and starts hitting on me. I tell him to go play with himself rather than with girls' hearts."

I grinned. "I can see you doing that."

"Heh, I bet. Well, some other guy from across the room starts yelling for me to get back on stage to sing some more. I turned and told him no, then sipped on the drink some more, and that's when I figured something was wrong." I noticed she was starting to shake.

"Did that guy slip something in the drink?" I asked, my heart pounding.

"It took me a few minutes to notice it, but once I started feeling dizzy, I figured that's…that's what it was. So what I did was stick my finger down my throat to make myself throw up, and I ended up puking all over that guy's jacket."

I laughed nervously. "Good move."

Mom laughed in much the same way I had just laughed, and paled a bit. "I was still more than a little dizzy after that, so I thought that riding my bike home would be a bad idea, so I decided to walk and take the bus or something. I walked for a bit, and after I turned onto the last street home…" She started shaking even more than she already was.

"M…Mom?" I asked. "You don't have to finish if…if it makes you nervous talking about it."

"It's…ok," she tried to assure me. "You…should consider yourself lucky. Nobody else except…except you knows what happened after Linna and Nene left. Nobody knows anything."

"That's what Linna told me."

"They don't need to know the specifics. It's not…their business."

"They're your best friends! They should know!"

"All they know is that I was badly beaten up and that you were a result of what happened that night. The specifics…aren't…important!" Mom was shaking to the point that she needed to sit down in order to control herself. I went and got her a glass of water to calm her nerves.

I'd been quick to notice she avoided the word 'rape' to describe what happened to her. Was this a reason why she never wanted to tell me what exactly happened? Was it because she was afraid that it would ruin my image of her? _She doesn't need to worry about that,_ I thought as I watched her gulp down the water. _Nobody's unbeatable. She shouldn't try to act like she's Macho Mom or anything. She's just gonna end up hurting herself._

* * *

"Yumeko…"

I heard the voice echo all around me, saying my name.

"Who is that?" I wondered aloud, looking all around me. There was no answer, except for the repeating of my name again. I walked down the empty hallway I'd found myself in, looking around for where that strange voice could be coming from.

"Whoever's here, you better come out," I warned, clenching my hand into a fist.

"All right, I will," the voice said from in front of me. I peered down the hallway, and out from the shadows stepped a large bluish-black figure.

"It's…it's you!!" I gasped.

"This scene is familiar, isn't it," the Boomer said, popping out its lasersword. My body started to tremble all over. Hadn't this thing been killed?!

"You're…you're supposed to be dead!" I said. "You couldn't have survived that explosion!!"

"You weren't supposed to survive it either, but look at you," it snapped back. "But now's the time for retribution. You don't have your friends here to help you this time. You don't even have your armor now!"

I backed up against the wall, petrified. What was I supposed to do?! The bastard was right, after all. "They'll…they'll come. They did so before, and they will again!! And this time, they'll make sure you're roasted!"

"I doubt that," it said, pointing to the wall on its right. I looked at it, and it suddenly disappeared. On the floor was Mom, laying in a pool of blood.

"M…MOM!!" I screamed, starting to run towards her, when the Boomer stepped between Mom and me.

"It's no use, Yumeko," the Boomer sneered. "You're dead."

"You…you killed her!!" I spat at it. "You son of a bitch!!" I swung my fist at its head, even though I didn't have my hardsuit on, but it grabbed me by the wrist and then thrust its knee into my stomach. I collapsed on the floor, holding my stomach in pain.

"No one can help you now," it chided, standing over me like a statue. "Take another look."

I slowly looked around me, and out of nowhere, the bloodied bodies of Linna, Sylia, and Nene appeared, laying all around me.

"No…no…" I moaned, squeezing my eyes shut. "This isn't real…"

"It's as real as real is going to get. Now die!!" the Boomer yelled, bringing its lasersword down on me.

"NO!! NO!!" I screamed, tossing and turning, trying to block all of this out. I screamed again as suddenly, I fell down.

"Huh?" I stopped thrashing, and looked around me again. I was in my bedroom. How had I ended up here? I thought about it for a moment, then sighed. A dream. The encounter with the Boomer had been a dream. I sat up, tangled up in my bedsheets, and ran my fingers through my sweat-drenched hair to get it out of my eyes. And then, I started crying, my body trembling all over again.

_Even in my dreams, the bastard won't leave me alone,_ I thought, wrapping my arms around my legs and letting it all out. _Why won't it just leave me alone?! I hate being like this!!_

I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked over to Mom's bed. "Mom?" I said, my voice shaking. After I didn't get a response, I crawled a little closer, and noticed that the bed was empty. Where would she be at this hour?

"Oh no," I said aloud. Not another… "SHIT!!" I yelled, trying to stand up, only to find my bedsheets were more tangled around me than I thought, and I went crashing to the floor. I untangled my legs from them and changed into a sweatshirt and jeans. Mom might've needed my help, and after the dream I'd just had, I was even more frantic to go help her if she needed it.

After strapping on my new leg brace – I didn't need that huge one anymore, since I could more or less walk fine now with a smaller one – I limped out the door and down the stairs to the parking lot. It was then I noticed it was raining outside, and heavily too. "Just great," I groaned as I blinked away the raindrops that fell into my eyes.

"Hey!" I heard a guy yell from the street. I looked over to where his voice had come from, and saw a familiar boy's head poking out from a black car.

"B…Boh?"

"Goin' somewhere?" he inquired with that impish grin of his. "I could give you a ride."

"What are YOU doing out here at this time of night?!"

"I was going to ask the same thing. Now get in before you get drenched."

I reluctantly went over to his car and got in on the passenger's side. As Boh put the car into gear and started driving down the street, I asked again why he was out this late.

"I just got off of work," he said.

"At 2 AM?"

"It's not as bad as you think. I can handle it alright. So where are you going?"

"Ah…well, my mom's hanging out with her friends at a nightclub, and I was…just going to see if they were ok."

"Your mom's a big girl," he joked. "I'm sure she can take care of herself." He looked over to me, his expression still as unchanging as stone, and said, "You're shaking all over."

"I…I'm ok, just had a weird dream."

"Ohh. So I suppose you're running to mommy just so she can kiss you and assure you everything's ok?"

I frowned. "Hell no. Geez, you can really be a pain in the ass sometimes."

We continued heading down the street in total silence, and that's when I noticed Boh didn't have his radio tuned in to the usual rap stations that other kids usually listened to.

"Isn't this Moonlight Sonata you're listening to?"

"Yes, it is. What of it?"

"I don't see very many kids that listen to classical music, that's all. It's just a surprise."

"The 'normal' music others listen to doesn't appeal to me. It all sounds the same to me. The other kids listen to it to get their rage out, I suppose, but classical music does more for me than that junk. Not that I hold anything against your mother's music, though."

"I'm sure she'd be flattered to hear that," I said dryly.

"So where am I driving you to, exactly?" he asked. I flushed, realizing I hadn't even told him where I wanted him to drive me to.

"Uh…the En Vogue nightclub, in district 3."

"That's a risky drive."

"Why's that?"

"There's a couple Boomers on the rampage in Shinjuku. That's pretty close to district 3, isn't it? We'd be driving right into the thick of it."

I thought for a moment, then said, "Well, you can let me out before we get there, then."

When we stopped at a red light, Boh looked down at my leg, taking notice of my new brace. He sat there unblinking and said, "Got a new brace, eh?"

"Yeah. It's much more comfortable than that hip-to-ankle one I had before. Linna adjusted it so that I can bend my leg a little bit with it, too." I demonstrated for him.

"How much can you bend your leg without it?"

"About thirty degrees, I think."

"That's good, considering you were only injured two and a half months ago, right?"

"No kidding. I'm hoping to be able to walk without it within the next couple months."

"You gotta keep in mind that your muscles only heal so fast," he reminded me as we started heading down the street again. "If you rush it, they won't heal as fast as they would if you hadn't tried to get ahead of yourself."

"Everybody's already told me that about twenty times," I grumbled.

"I'm sure," he said, smirking. "I think I can understand why, though. I mean, you were ranked number three in the world before you were injured, right?"

I sighed. "Yeah. I hope I can get back up there again, get recovered enough so that I can go to the Olympics next year, but…at the same time, I don't want to fool myself into thinking that that's definitely going to happen. The doctor DID say the leg might not ever get its full strength back…"

"But then again, 'full strength' for you is pretty strong, I bet."

"Yeah, compared with everybody else," I chuckled, then remembered my dream. I had to make sure that what had happened then would never come to pass. I'd never forgive myself if I did. And appropriately enough, the CD Boh had in the CD player was now playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. "Stop the car here," I said suddenly. "I can walk from here."

"Can you?" he mimicked, noting the brace.

"I'll be fine," I snapped as he stopped the car. I stepped out onto the street, the rain still coming down heavily and starting to drench me yet again.

"Tell your mom and Miss Yamazaki I said hi," he said, closing the door after I got out.

"I'll be sure to," I responded flatly as I headed down the street on foot.

"Oh, and watch out for any rogue Boomers," Boh warned me, half-joking, before he drove out of sight.

_Mom,_ I thought as I made my way slowly towards Sylia's Lady 633 building, _Please say that you're ok. That's one dream I never want to come true…_

* * *

"Priss, what's your situation?" Sylia asked over the comm as I stood there atop a building, keeping a lookout for any of the rogue Boomers out.

"Damn it," I muttered to myself; I couldn't seem to find any of them, even with the scanner on the search for them. I was hoping it wasn't the same as it was with the Boomers we'd fought at the summit. "I can't find 'em, Sylia. Do you suppose they're the same kind as the ones we—"

"They're not the same," she assured me. "I got word all three of them are BU-33Bs, so they're certainly not the same." It wasn't like that helped any, either. We'd had trouble tracking that kind down too. I remembered that battle all too well; Linna and Yume getting ambushed because they couldn't scan for it, and getting beat up as a result.

"What the hell happened, Linna?!" I'd asked her while helping her up.

"We…we couldn't find it…I got ambushed, and…and Yumeko did too when she came to help me out," she'd said, her hand to her bleeding shoulder. "I don't know…how they could've eluded our scanners…"

I was determined not to let that scenario play out again. And considering there were three of them this time instead of one, we had to be extra careful, especially since Yume wasn't out with us this time as well. When the Boomers came out this time, Sylia had warned me not to let her know about it, 'cause she'd only want to go along, bad leg or no bad leg. "She'll only get in the way," she warned. "She's not ready, physically or mentally."

I heard some police sirens sound out behind me. I turned around and saw a horde of police cars race down the street towards a monorail track.

"I think they found one, Sylia," I said, activating my jumpjets. "I'm goin' in."

"PLEASE hurry up!!" I heard Nene beg, followed by a few gunshots from what I assumed was her machine gun. "This thing doesn't wanna die!!"

"Hold on!" I told her, leaping from building to building, following the police cars at first, then passing them. As I got closer to where the Boomer was, I heard a few faint booming noises, followed by smoke swirling up into the night sky. A moment later, the Boomer came into view, firing blasts at a familiar red-and-pink hardsuit, who was darting to the side of each one fired at her. To my amazement, she actually didn't run away. Instead, she took aim with her machine gun and fired away at the Boomer, not doing much damage.

"Time to fight me now, you bastard!!" I yelled at it as I leaped down from the building I was on and into the street. It turned to face me, growling much like a dog. When it started to charge at me, I did much the same, ducking its heat cannon blast before punching it in the chest with my Knuckle Bomber. It stumbled back a few steps, then quickly recovered and came at me again. I jumped over it and while doing so, I fired a few of my needles down into its head and shoulders. It howled in rage as it tried to rip them out, and I couldn't help but smirk as I watched it try.

"I don't know how you do that, Priss," Nene said from behind me, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Practice," I muttered as the Boomer turned to face me again. "Oh, ready for more?"

The Boomer fired its mouth cannon at me, which caught both Nene and me off guard. We both barely managed to dart out of its path in time before it went barreling into a car and blowing it up. As I got back into position, Nene got down on one knee and started firing her gun like crazy, which only served to annoy and piss off the Boomer more than anything. When it started heading towards her, I followed, but when I was about to deck it in the head with my Knuckle Bomber again, it suddenly spun around and grabbed me by the neck.

"Priss!!" Nene yelled as I struggled to get some air in. _Not so fast, you son of a bitch, _I thought as I jumped – while it was still holding me by the neck, even – and had just about kicked it in the arm with my Leg Bombers when it spun around again and threw me into the air.

"Wha--?!" I started to say. The Boomer activated its own jumpjets and came up after me, punching me in the stomach and swatting me onto a monorail train that was passing by before I could even react.

"You gotta get offa there!!" Nene yelled over the comm. "There's people on that train!!"

"Well, no shit!!" I shot at her, just getting to my feet again. The Boomer, jetting towards me still, started firing its mouth cannon again, followed by its heat cannon. I tried jumping out of the way of the mouth cannon blast, but it was too late; after I did, I felt it slam into my side. I screamed with the pain, but then I felt the train jerk beneath my feet as the heat cannon hit it.

"Priss!!" I heard Nene scream again as the train car I was standing on blew up.

* * *

_"It was that easy? …I didn't expect it to, especially if it concerns you, of all people."_

_"Oh, shut up."_

_"But of course, who am I to judge? If I could take you down, so could that son-of-a-bitch Boomer."_

_"That…that was a fluke."_

_"Oh? So, I suppose if you hadn't been at the club that night with your friends, I couldn't have gotten you pregnant with that red-eyed brat?" The man in the shadows held up a bloody knife. "This looks familiar, doesn't it?"_

_"Of…course it does. You stabbed me with that." I could feel the blood, making my clothes stick to my side._

_"Yes, I did." He stepped closer to me, my feet refusing to budge. He held up a brick in his hand. "Time to teach you a real lesson now."_

* * *

"Priss…Priss!!"

"Wha…?" The high-pitched voice blared in my ears, making my head pound. I put my hand to my head and slowly got up, sitting up on my knees. "What the hell…?"

"Priss, the Boomer!!" Nene yelled. I remained sitting there for the moment, trying to shake off that moment I had just remembered in that dream. I put my hand to my side, and when I looked at it, it had my blood on it. _Just like…like that night,_ I thought. I closed my eyes, and could feel the jerk of my body and the sharp pain in my side when he'd plunged the knife there. "No one, and I mean no one, brushes me off like that," he'd spat as he drove the knife deeper.

I hollered in rage and jumped up, only to come face to face with the Boomer again. "You bastard!!" I yelled, punching it with my Knuckle Bomber and firing several needles through it before it could even respond. I ran up and kicked it in the head with my Leg Bombers, then slapped an S-Mine on it, leaping out of what was left of the train before the Boomer exploded.

"Priss, are you ok?" I heard Nene ask meekly when she ran up to me.

"Does…this…look like ok to you?!" I snapped, pointing out my bloodied side.

"We need to get you back, quick."

"I'll live," I groaned, putting my hand to my side to stem the bleeding. We both stood there for a few seconds, just gazing at the burnt twisted metal that was the monorail train, when I heard some soft crying. "Do you hear that?"

"Y-yeah, I do," she said softly. She walked over to the pile of scrap metal and lifted off a few pieces, then gasped when she saw a little child underneath, crying and moaning. My eyes widened as I slowly ran to help her.

"Hey…hey, you ok?" I asked the girl.

She looked up at me with huge eyes and cried, "No."

"Lemme help you," I said, lifting off the last piece that was pinning her down, then lifted her up and cradled her in my arms.

"My mommy…" she moaned, starting to cry again. Nene reached her hand to lift up her visor to get a better look at the girl, then stopped.

"She…" Nene started to say.

"We gotta get her some help. She's not safe here," I said slowly, my head starting to spin again. I shook my head to make it stop, but that only made all the pain worse, and my legs started to wobble in the effort to keep me up.

"Don't push yourself," Nene warned, starting to look around for a police car. "So…how DO we get her some help, anyway? We're not exactly friends with the cops as it is."

"I don't care about the cops," I said bluntly. At that moment, coincidentally enough, police cars started showing up, and when they caught sight of Nene and me, they came even faster, and in a matter of seconds, we were surrounded. Nene scratched the side of her head – where it would be if she didn't have her helmet on, anyway – while I just stood there, trying to keep from collapsing while holding this little girl in my arms at the same time.

"Freeze!!" they said, jumping out of their cars and aiming their guns at us. To us Sabers, seeing this was quite a comical sight.

"Do they honestly think they can hurt us with those little pistols?" Nene asked, dumbfounded.

"Apparently so," I replied dryly.

"Let go of the kid!!" one officer ordered, pointing his gun at us.

"You actually think I was gonna hang on to her?!" I snapped, starting to walk towards them.

"Priss…!" Nene whispered behind me.

"I'll be fine," I assured her. As I walked slowly towards the officer, the others kept their guns pointed at me. Undeterred, I continued walking, and when I reached the officer's car, I bent down and set the girl down. "Take her," I said.

The officer looked at me, raising an eyebrow, as if he'd expected something else. "She needs to get to a hospital," I said tiredly, my head and side hurting like hell. "I can't do anything for her."

"L…Lady?" the girl said, looking up at me. "T…thank you…"

I smiled, even though she couldn't see it, and said, "It's my job." I turned around and walked back to Nene while the officer went and snatched up the kid in his arms. The other officers looked stunned to see me act so casually. And why else would I? It's not like they posed any actual threat at the moment.

"How about we get outta here about now?" I inquired to Nene.

"Y-yeah, let's."

We both activated out jumpjets and casually just flew over the officers and up to the roof of a nearby building. They all yelled for us to stop, but of course, we didn't. After we leaped to and from a few different buildings, my body decided it couldn't take much more of this. My knees were starting to buckle when Nene put an arm around me for support.

"Hey, it's ok," she said.

I moaned and put a hand to my side again; it had stopped bleeding, but now it was burning like hell. "T…thanks," I reluctantly said, wincing at the pain.

"Sylia," Nene said over the comm, "Priss and I are on a building overlooking 17th Street. You can come to pick us up whenever you can."

"I don't need to be picked up," I protested weakly.

"You two ok?" Linna asked.

"Priss' hurt, the Boomer's dead…nothing out of the usual," Nene joked. I clubbed her over the head. "Hey!!"

I heard Sylia stifle a laugh, then she said, "Ok. Just hold your positions until we can get there."

"Roger," I said as Nene rubbed the back of her head.

* * *

After hopping out of the equipment van, I headed towards the suit-up room, holding my side. If it had hurt before, it was just plain killing me now. The face of my attacker kept flashing in my mind as well, taunting me with his evil grin.

As soon as I reached the suit-up room, I yanked off my helmet and threw it against the wall, seething. Linna and Nene both jumped as it smacked against the wall and rolled to the floor.

"Priss, are you ok?" Linna asked, her helmet clasped in her hands. "And I don't mean your side, either."

"Am I ok? Why do you ask?" I inquired, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, you're shaking. You're not normally this upset from just a wound."

"I'm fine," I barked, rubbing the side of my head. I could still hear 'his' voice in my head, could still see him holding that brick in his hand.

"Hold still for me!" he'd yelled while on top of me, when I wouldn't stop squirming. He'd raised the brick up, then slammed it into the side of my head. And when I didn't stop struggling, he did it again…

I squeezed my eyes shut and yelled, kicking the wall.

"Priss?!" Nene said, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I…"

"It's not your fault," I said, wiping the sweat from my face. "Don't go thinking that it's your fault. I didn't get out of the way in time, and I paid for it. Ok?!"

Sylia, out of her hardsuit now, simply leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at me, as if she understood.

The uneasy silence was broken when we heard the door beep, followed by it opening. We all looked over to it, and saw a drenched girl step through slowly. I blinked, then realized it was Yume.

"Yumeko, how did you…?" Nene started to ask.

Yume looked to her, her face completely blank, then looked at me, not even taking notice of the gaping wound in my side. She wiped her soaked bangs from her eyes, then walked towards me. We locked gazes for a moment, then she started to tremble, whether from cold or being worried or a combination of the two. Then, she hugged me tight and started to cry.

I started to yell in pain, but then stopped and slowly looked down at her. "Hey…"

Yume mumbled something in English, still crying, and I looked to Linna for a translation. She repeated it so I could understand: "I'm so glad you're ok."

"Yume, I…"

"You…you coulda at least told me you were going out," she said, looking up at me. "I don't want to lose you again, I don't…"

"It was to make sure you wouldn't try to tag along," Sylia said bluntly.

Yume let go of me and faced her. "You think I'd be crazy enough to go out like THIS?" She hit her leg with her fist. "I know better than that! I…I know I woulda just gotten in the way. And besides, I couldn't have, even if I wanted to. My hardsuit's not repaired yet." She suddenly realized what she had just said, and paled a bit. "Um…speaking of which…I'd like to see it."

Nene fidgeted. "You sure you want to see it now?"

"Better now than later," Yume said.

"It's behind Linna," she said, pointing behind her. Linna stepped out of the way for Yume to get a better look.

"My suit…" Yume mumbled as she bent down to inspect it, grimacing when she bent down with her bad leg. "It's a wreck."

"Yeah…" Linna agreed, her face turning hard.

Yume put her hand over the slash on the stomach armor, feeling the dried blood with her fingers. Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to recall when that happened. She then demonstrated how it was done, mostly for herself, putting her fingers together like it was that lasersword, then repeated the swooping motion the Boomer had done.

"You remember a bit, don't you," Sylia inquired.

"A bit," Yume repeated, looking down at the hole in the leg armor. Her eyes widened when she saw all the cracks around it, and the dried blood. She moved around to the back of the suit, and looked at the hole on the other side. "I remember that, too…" she breathed. "It went through me…like I hadn't even had the suit on…"

"I did a few tests on that," Sylia said, "based on the size of the bullet and the velocity at which it was going. I can say that, if you hadn't had your suit on, it'd be quite likely you wouldn't even have a leg now."

Yume smirked in response, which threw me off a bit. Didn't she even understand what Sylia had just said? "Is that so…" she said. "Didn't seem like it…"

After looking at the leg armor, she looked at the armor for the torso. Her flight wings were totally crushed from the Boomer stomping on her, and the sides were riddled with numerous cracks as well.

"I don't know what to think," she admitted, shaking her head slowly. "I'm…I'm kinda numb right now… This brings back so many memories…"

"It's to be expected," Sylia said.

"I want the suit repaired," Yume said. "I need to get back into battle."

"What?!" Nene exclaimed.

"It can't be put off forever," she snapped. "You guys are probably needing my help as it is… I can't stay out forever…"

"Your leg's still pretty weak," Linna said. "It's still gonna be a few more months at least."

"At least I'm not in much pain anymore," Yume said, grinning evilly. "Stiffness, weakness, that stuff I can deal with. The pain was the hardest part. This other BS should be easy enough to deal with."

"You'd think that."

"Yume, you still gotta take your time with this," I spoke up. "You know it's not gonna get better overnight."

"Yeah, Mom, I know, but…I'm not the only one to worry over. There's you too." She pointed to my side.

"Thanks for the reminder," I groaned, my side incidentally starting to throb again.

"It's been a long night," Sylia said. "I think we should all go home now and get some rest."

Nene yawned. "I'm all for that."

After we all changed back into our normal clothes, Linna and Nene went home, but Sylia wanted to keep me at her place overnight to take care of my wounds. As we were walking upstairs to her penthouse, I asked Yume, "So what's bugging you besides the fact we went out without telling you?"

"What…what do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.

"C'mon, I can tell something else is up. Fess up."

"Well…I…I had a nightmare."

"What of?"

"I dreamed that Boomer was alive again, and that it had killed all of you, and that…that I was the only one left."

I sighed and put my hand on her shoulder. "That Boomer's dead. And I can assure you that we're not gonna be going down that easily. We're gonna be here for as long as we need to be. Ok?"

She smiled. "I hope so."

"But right now…I need to get somethin' for this side," I admitted, wincing. "It's buggin' the hell outta me."

Yume laughed. "Yeah, I bet it is!"

* * *

When I woke up a few days after that little incident, I could practically see that cloud of gloom over my head. I felt depressed, but…I didn't know exactly why. Was it because I wasn't on the gymnastics team at this time of year, like I usually was? No, that couldn't be it. I thought I'd gotten over that a while ago, and yet…

I got dressed and went up to the roof, laying flat on my back to let the morning sun bathe me in its light. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. Something just didn't seem quite right. Normally, it being summer again, and not to mention my birthday, would make me ultra-hyper, not being able to hold still. But on this day, I was just strangely depressed.

I counted back the months since the Boomer summit…since I'd been shot the first time…since… I opened my eyes.

"Ten months," I mumbled to myself tiredly. "It's been ten months…"

Ten months since that fateful night when I'd gone out to look for Mom. Ten months since that female Boomer ambushed me and was about to stab me when Mom came and killed it. Ten months since I became a Knight Saber.

"Ten…friggin'…months," I said out loud. Maybe that's what was bothering me; the fact I'd just wasted ten months of my life to help fight Boomers. Teenagers were supposed to spend their days and nights partying and studying and worrying about what to wear tomorrow, not putting their lives on the line for people who didn't even care about them. If I'd been told earlier that day that I would be a Knight Saber by the next morning, I would've told them to kiss off, but…sure enough, it was true.

Damn it all.

"Mama," I'd said one day when I was about six, "Me and my friends are gonna go play Saber games, 'k?"

"Saber games?" she'd asked.

"Yeah! We're gonna pretend we're the Knight Sabers! I'm gonna be the blue one!"

"The blue one?" I remember that grin she'd gotten when I said that. "Is that your favorite one?"

"Uh-huh."

"Y'know how you can make that game even more fun?"

"How?"

She bent down so she could look me in the eye, and said, "Well, I've heard that one of the weapons that the blue Saber had was something on her fist. Whenever she'd punch a Boomer, it would explode."

"Really?" I exclaimed.

"I wouldn't tell you that if it was a lie," she'd said with a twinkle in her eye. When I'd looked back on it before, I thought she'd just been going along with the game, trying to figure out ways to make it more fun. But once I discovered that Mom herself was the blue Knight Saber, I knew she hadn't been making it up, after all.

_I wish the games had just stayed games,_ I thought, standing up. _But then again…it's not like fighting real Boomers is any less fun, either…_

I stretched and rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes, then looked towards that cursed Genom Tower. Just looking at the thing made me sick. I just wanted to walk right up to Quincy's office, give him the finger, then spit in his face. Of course, if I did that in real life, then I'd never be heard from again. The Genom execs might as well say, "You can say whatever you want, except for this, this, this, and this." Bah. It was like Nazi Germany all over again.

I suddenly got a tickle in my nose, and I had to sneeze. Right when I did, though, I felt something whiz behind my head. I froze for a moment, wondering if that was my imagination, or if it was just the wind. I slowly stood up straight again and scratched the back of my head.

"I must be going crazy," I said to myself, then looked at my fingers. They had blood on them. And then, I felt the dull pain in the back of my head. My eyes widened as I realized what had happened. Someone had just tried to bump me off!!

I snatched my gun out of my jacket and cocked it. "Who's there?!" I yelled, looking around at the surrounding buildings for anybody that might be hiding. "Who the hell is it?!" My heart pounded as I scanned my surroundings again. Somebody'd shot at me, but from what I could see, there was nobody around.

"Damn," I muttered, putting my gun away.

I went downstairs back to my apartment, just staring at the blood on my fingers the whole way. Who would want me dead, and why? Certainly not a crazed fan; who'd ever heard of a gymnast getting killed by one? Sadly, I'd almost understand if someone tried to shoot Mom, but like she made clear long ago, "I'm not looking to become the next John Lennon, thank you."

"What's wrong?" Mom asked immediately when she saw me walk in the door.

"This," I said, holding up my fingers. Her eyes narrowed at the sight.

"So what happened?"

"Somebody tried to shoot me." I unconsciously scratched the back of my head again, only to wince when I scratched my fresh wound.

"Lemme see," she said quickly, turning me around so she could see. "What the hell?"

"That's what I thought. I looked around for somebody on one of the other buildings, but there was nobody there. Whoever it was probably coulda killed me too, if I hadn't sneezed."

"I guess it's Genom's way of wishing you a happy seventeenth birthday," she quipped.

I almost laughed at the thought, but quickly turned serious. "What…do you mean by that, exactly?" I asked as she washed the wound with some peroxide she'd gotten out of the cabinet.

"Sylia didn't tell you?"

"She hasn't told me shit about anything."

"I figured," she said in a low voice. "Look, you know that during that fight at the convention center, your faceplate was broken, right?"

"I don't remember when it was broken, but yeah, I know it was broken. Why?"

"Well…Sylia said that she thinks the people at Genom might know your identity as a Knight Saber."

I snapped my head at her. "What?! You gotta be kidding me!!"

Mom set down the bottle of peroxide and shook her head. "I wish I were. But Sylia said that the Boomer's eyes had transmitters in them or somethin', so that whatever it saw would be fed back to wherever it came from."

I paled. "No…friggin'…way."

"That's part of why I come to pick you up at school every day, to make sure nothing happens. Genom assassins usually don't cut people down out in broad daylight, but I suppose since you were alone on the roof, then that would be their opportunity."

"So…how would you explain that one Boomer nearly gutting me last year? You did say you thought it was originally after you, but you never did say if anyone knew you were a Knight Saber…"

She thought for a moment, her face still as stone, then shook her head. "I dunno how to explain that one… Largo figured it out, but he's dead now."

"How did he figure it out?"

"He threw me against a wall hard enough to shatter my faceplate."

"He was THAT strong?"

"Yeah," she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

I grinned evilly. "I almost wish I coulda met him. I'm sure we woulda just LOVED each other…"

She shook her head quickly. "No way. The only reason I lived through the battle with him is because the others arrived in time. And besides…he was just like that Boomer at the summit. He had a Black Box in him."

"A what?"

"The thing that gives 'em access to the beam satellites."

I paled again. "Kinda makes ya wonder why Sylia doesn't have control of one o' those things, eh?"

Mom smirked. "No kidding. I've been zapped by one twice now, after that bastard blew up the convention center."

"Twice? Yow."

"That's what I've been saying for the past three days," she quipped, referring to her side. "Now c'mere so I can get that wound bandaged up."

I laughed. "You don't have any Bactine, do you? That stuff's even worse than being hit by a beam sat."

She laughed as well. "Nah. You're safe."

* * *

I stumbled into school the next day, the aura of pure exhaustion all around me. All the other kids in the hallway seemed to feel it too, for when I passed them, they stepped to the side, as if I might bite. It was one thing to have someone or something try to kill me in battle – it was a part of the job, of course – but to have it happen out of the blue like yesterday? It freaked me out, to say the least. And learning about Sylia's concerns about Genom possibly knowing that I was a Knight Saber didn't exactly calm my nerves. _God, I hope they don't know. They better not know,_ I thought, paling at the mere thought of it.

I opened my locker and started taking out some of my textbooks when I felt someone flick their finger against the back of my head. I jumped and winced.

"Nasty scab there," I heard Boh note.

"Hi, Boh," I groaned, looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

"What happened to your head?"

"I just fell and hurt myself, that's all. Nothing too major."

"Is that a fact?" He leaned over my shoulder and looked at me, his expression unchanging. "You look like somebody tried to kill you or something."

"Do I?" I asked curtly. "Well, it could be because yesterday was my birthday, and I'm not looking forward to being older."

"So how old are you now?"

"Seventeen."

"Aw, no more being Sweet Sixteen, eh? Gonna miss it?"

_Miss it?,_ I repeated in my head. _After everything that happened when I was that age?_ "Ah…I dunno yet. I still need to test the waters of Seventeenism first."

He chuckled. "Ah, it'll be fun. I think that's the age when most people get deflowered."

I nearly dropped my books in surprise. "What?!"

"It's true though, isn't it?"

I blushed. "I…I don't plan on sleeping with anybody anytime soon, thank you!"

"Well, from what I've heard, it might be too late for you."

"What…what do you mean?!" I fired, still blushing.

"I've heard some things, rumors, if you will."

"About what?! If it's about Masahiro, he and I haven't even—"

"No, not about you and him."

"About who then?"

"Who do you think?"

I was about to answer him when I heard the bell ring. "I…I gotta go to class. I'm gonna be late."

"I'll go with you."

"Why?" I inquired.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, we DO have the same first-period class."

"Oh, right." I smacked myself upside the head, which made Boh smirk in response.

Once we got to class, the teacher gave us each a blank piece of paper, and told us to write an essay about fate. Did we believe in it, or not? And why? At least two paragraphs long, with topic sentences and ending sentences and all that crap, and we had the whole period to do it. I sat there for the first few minutes, scratching the side of my head with my pencil. What WAS my view about this, anyway? I'd never really given much thought to it, despite what I'd been through recently. I looked behind me at Michiko, who was scribbling away, and at Boh, who was taking his time writing out his thoughts.

I finally decided to write this:

_People have often debated whether the course of their lives is decided by their own actions, or by some higher being, or Fate. My opinion is that we ourselves decide our own course of action. It's like being on a river, and it splits into two separate entities. Naturally we'd have to decide which branch of the river to go down. The smooth one may look inviting, because it looks peaceful and undisturbed, but the rough one is exactly the opposite. It's wild and untamed, but like the old saying goes, "Sailors never got experience from calm waters."_

_When I was nearly killed when the convention center exploded a couple months ago, I questioned what I had done wrong, what I had done to deserve such a punishment. And then I realized, realized that I wasn't DESTINED to be like this, but that it was a result of my actions. Although it's claimed that the Knight Sabers attacked the convention center, I believe it was Boomers all along. And when they stormed the convention center, I wanted to stick around, to see how the Sabers would take care of them._

I stopped writing after I wrote that last sentence; I could hear everyone yelling orders and such again…

"There's an explosion at the convention center!!" Linna had yelled. "Priss and I are going to see what's up!!"

"What about me?!" I'd asked Nene while she suited up.

"Stay here!! This is probably going to get ugly."

"That's why I should come too!!"

"You have your orders!!" she'd snapped at me. _I wonder…I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't been ordered to stay in the van,_ I thought as I felt the color drain from my face at the sheer memory of anything relating to that night. _What would've happened if I hadn't jumped in to save Mom and Nene?_

"You all right?" I heard the teacher ask. I jumped in surprise and looked up at him.

"Y-yeah, I'm ok," I responded. Michiko stopped writing and looked at me, concern lining her face.

"Yumeko?" she whispered.

"I'm all right, don't worry about me," I whispered back, looking down at my paper again. After the teacher went back to his desk, I sat there, tapping my pencil on the paper. What could I write without giving anything away? After I contemplated that for a few seconds, I continued writing:

_I realize now that as a result of staying at the convention center, I was caught in the ensuing explosion and am left with a potentially crippling wound, and scars that will be with me for the rest of my life. Even now, almost three months after that night, I cannot walk without a leg brace, and the physical therapy I endure every day only serves to remind me of the consequences of my actions. My injuries were a result of my actions, and I take full responsibility for them. I wasn't fated to be like this, as some people may think. It's simply a result of the choices I made; it serves as proof that our lives aren't guided by some higher force, but by the decisions we make in our everyday lives._

I sighed and put down my pencil. I couldn't write any more even if I wanted to; the memories were flooding my mind right now, making it impossible to think of anything else. I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to clear my mind of that junk, but it didn't really help.

"Yumeko, you ok?" I heard Michiko ask again.

"Ms. Ishiodori!" the teacher snapped. Several kids snickered at her as she jumped and flushed a bit.

"Well…sir…she looks like she's gonna faint, that's all."

"I do?" I wondered aloud. Boh looked at me out of the corner of his eye, as if he was a bit curious as to why I was nervous, too.

"Are you done with your essay, Ms. Asagiri?" the teacher asked me.

"Yeah."

"Ok. Come out into the hall so we can talk."

"Uh-oh, she's in trouble!" I heard one boy joke. The teacher glared daggers at him as the two of us stepped out into the hallway.

"I'm sure this was an interesting subject for you to have to write about," he said.

I scratched the back of my head, making sure not to scratch my wound. "Uh…you could say that."

"I've heard a bit about what happened, and from the looks of it, it's a miracle you survived."

_Miracle? That's an understatement,_ I thought. "Well…Mom did tell me my heart stopped twice on the operating table 'cause of all the blood loss, but…but I'm ok," I said, turning pale again.

"Have you gotten any counseling?"

"The principal asked the same thing," I groaned. "I'm fed up with doctors. I've seen too many of those white coats; I could puke."

"It might be beneficial if you had someone to talk to about these things, about the lingering trauma and such."

"I don't need anybody for that. I already have my mom's friends, and Micchan."

"Yes, but a professional would be better able to help you deal with the trauma."

I looked away. "Thanks for the concern, but…I'm all right as I am. All I'm really worried about now is learning to walk without this brace, and to get back to doing gymnastics again."

"Well, if you need anything, I'm right here."

I nodded acknowledgment, not looking at him. Not like I'd be talking to him about anything anytime soon, of course.

"So what did he wanna talk with you about?" Michiko asked as we were walking towards our next class.

"He was just wondering if I was getting any counseling."

"Are you?"

"No."

"Maybe it would be a good idea," she suggested. "I mean, I'd hate to see you go into one of your blackouts again."

"Don't remind me," I groaned.

"But still, y'know what was cool about you beating up Eiji? You really gave him what he deserved, and plus, everyone now knows to avoid you." She giggled. "They know not to push you too much now."

"I guess."

"Whaddaya mean you 'guess'?" she inquired, her eyes widening.

_I wish I could tell you_, I thought as we reached our next class. _But…it can't happen again. If I say anything out of the ordinary, it'll give everything away. Even with Eiji, I cut it close. Wasn't much better with Ana, either. How much longer can I do this?_


	4. Capture

"Ok, lay down on the mat," Linna instructed.

"No, not this exercise again," I groaned as I did what she asked. I knew she was gonna ask me to do what she called the 'bicycle exercise'. I was supposed to lay down on my back, and then move my legs in the air as if I was pedaling a bicycle, but it was easier said than done; it hurt my leg like almost nothing else.

"C'mon, you know this exercise is one of the best ones for your leg," she chided.

"Yeah, but can't we skip it just for today?"

She shook her head. "Nope. You want to be able to help us out in battle, right? So we gotta do these to get your leg back to where it was before."

"But…my leg can't bend that much yet, to do the exercise."

"Practice makes perfect. Now get those legs in the air," she ordered. I sighed and did so. "Now pedal."

I started doing the pedaling motion, slowly at first, but sped it up when Linna told me to. I winced as I tried to bend my bad leg as much as the exercise needed it to be, but it still wasn't able to bend very far.

"This hurts," I spat as I clung to the mat in the effort not to roll over and grab my leg and yell in pain. Linna bent down and held me down by the shoulders to make sure I didn't do just that.

"I know, but the more you do it, the less it'll hurt."

"So…about this Navy SEAL stuff you were talking about…is this part of their training?"

"Yep."

"How many of these do they do?"

She grinned. "A lot. Now keep pedaling."

I moved my legs a bit faster, but my bad leg was starting to get stiff, and as a result, I couldn't move it as much as my good leg. "Ow!" I yelled.

"Keep pedaling," Linna encouraged. "You're doing fine."

My bangs were starting to get in my eyes, so I started finding it hard to see what I was doing. I squeezed them shut and with a burst of energy, started moving my legs like crazy, even though they protested the move heavily. I gritted my teeth as I pedaled faster, my left leg starting to throb with the effort it took to move that much.

"Ow ow ow ow!!" I hollered, letting my legs drop to the mat.

"C'mon, you can keep going," Linna said, her hands still holding me down by the shoulders.

I shook my head. "I can't," I panted. "It hurts."

"Well, of course it hurts. But the only way you're gonna get past the pain is if you go through it. So you just gotta grit your teeth and bear it."

"What do you think I just did?"

"Moaned and hollered bloody murder," she joked, standing up. "Get up."

"Gladly." I wobbled to my feet, my leg ready to buckle even though I'd only done one exercise today. "So what next?"

"Get your brace on. We're going outside."

Once we were outside on the sidewalk outside of Linna's gym, she told me what we were gonna do.

"Ok, remember the last time we ran laps around this building?"

I nodded. "When I was training for the World Championships. Of course."

"And how many laps did we run?"

I thought for a moment. "Um…six, I guess."

"Yup, six. Well, we're gonna do that again."

My jaw dropped. "What?! I was nearly passing out LAST time, how do you think it's gonna be THIS time?!"

"This is different. Naturally we're going to see how fast you can run, of course, but this is also going to be a test of how well it can hold your weight when it's doing that, and a test of how much it can bend."

"Wasn't that what the bike pedal exercise was about?"

"It didn't test how well the leg can hold weight when moving though."

"So…am I gonna be wearing my brace during this thing, or not?"

"Today we'll have you run with the brace, but later, it'll be without." She bent down and put her hands on my brace, and started fiddling with some of the screws.

"What're you doing?"

"Adjusting it so you'll be able to bend your leg a little more."

"Fine by me," I said as she finished.

"Naturally, you can't bend it as much as you need to when the brace only lets you bend your leg so much. That's why I adjusted it; you can't learn to bend it more when it's restrained like that."

I practiced bending the leg, and grinned when I learned she was right. "Hey, I CAN bend it more now."

Linna smiled as she took out a stopwatch. "That's the point. Now get ready."

I got into position, ready for her to give the word to start. The one thing I was thinking about at that moment was not about how much it might hurt or not to run, but whether or not I'd fall flat on my face when I first started. _God, I hope I don't fall_, I thought.

"Ready?" Linna asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Ok. Go!"

I dashed forward with a burst of speed, then quickly floundered as my leg protested the sudden move by tightening. I grimaced and kept moving, trying to go as fast as my leg would allow me to. And guessing from the laughter I heard from Linna, I must've looked like an idiot with the way I was running. As I turned the corner, my leg continued to remain tight, and as I urged it to move, it didn't loosen up any.

"C'mon, it's not like you've never ran before," I yelled at my leg, which was already starting to throb. I 'slowed' to a jog, hoping maybe it would loosen up if I didn't put so much pressure on it, and it did. The throbbing, however, didn't stop, which was typical.

_If I can't run,_ I thought as I turned the next corner, _how am I going to be able to fight again? Come on, Yumeko, you can do this! Just move the stinkin' leg!_

"Are you aware of how idiotic you look?" I heard a girl ask in a snobbish voice. I rolled my eyes and turned around.

"Hmph. I figured," I said as I stood there and looked at Maru and Ana. "The gruesome twosome."

"Oh, ha ha," Ana said. "You look like you're stubbing your toe with every step you take."

"I'm simply trying to run," I shot back. "I'm in the middle of my therapy session right now."

"Therapy?" Maru inquired. "I don't see anybody around."

"I was told to run around the building, that's all. My 'coach' is on the other side waiting for me."

"So shouldn't you get started again?" Ana spat.

"How about you just keep your mouth shut before I rearrange your face again," I threatened flatly. She paled at the memory.

"They're just idle threats," Maru said, brushing me off. "Especially now, what with your crippled leg and all."

"It ain't so crippled anymore," I said. "I can still use it to kick your sorry ass."

"Oh, I'm shaking."

I snorted and turned my back on her. "You don't scare me. Never have. And besides, I have bigger worries."

"Like this?" I heard her say before feeling her foot slam into the back of my leg, my bad one, to boot. I yelped as the leg buckled and I went crashing to the sidewalk. "See? You're not so tough anymore. You're just a softie now."

"S…softie?!" I grabbed my leg and winced. That was certainly not what I needed; my leg could take punishment, but hits like that? Not just yet. I stood up and sighed, my leg twinging now with whatever move I made. "My leg may not be as strong as it used to be, but the rest of me is just as good as ever!!" I snapped as I took my gun out of my jacket pocket and slapped Maru across the face with it.

"What the--?!" she yelled as I put it away. She put a hand to her cheek and winced. "Since when did you…?!"

"For a while now," I replied. "Gotta protect myself, especially in this town."

"Is that a fact!" Ana said, dumbfounded. She and Maru both backed off when I glared at them defiantly, just daring them to try another move against me again.

"All guns are," Maru said as she started to walk (more like run) off, "is a way for people to make up for something they're lacking in in another department."

_She…she just HAD to throw in that last remark, didn't she!!,_ I thought as I continued my slow jog around the building, blushing like mad. _Damn it!!_

"What kept you?" Linna asked when I returned, then looked at the stopwatch. "That one lap took ten minutes."

"Ten?" I laughed. "Well, I…kinda ran into some trouble."

She raised an eyebrow. "Trouble, eh? Well, that's not gonna stop you from doing the other five laps, is it?"

I sighed. "No."

She grinned. "Well, get to it!"

* * *

As Linna continued to have me do those new exercises over the next few weeks, my mind started racing. How I wished I could have joined my school gymnastic team this year. I'd faithfully gone to every single competition that the Kihi team participated in, cheering them on while secretly wishing I could have been out there with them. My leg was slowly getting stronger, but nowhere near strong enough to be flipping over the uneven bars or keep me balanced on the balance beam.

One day, on a whim, I went to the gym to watch the team practice, knowingly skipping my therapy in the process. As I opened the door to the gym, I saw the girls in their leotards, doing back-flips and jumping around on the floor mat. When Clara saw me, she immediately grinned, jumped off the balance beam, and ran towards me.

"Yumeko!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to watch you guys practice."

"Great! We need all the support we can get! We're going up against Sierra Senior High tomorrow afternoon."

"Sierra's ranked No. 2, right?"

"Yeah," she grumbled. "And we're No. 3."

"Well, this is the time to show 'em that the Kihi team can beat them even without me."

"But you ARE with us."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

Clara let out a breath. "We think about you all the time. It's really sad that you got that leg injury, but we vowed at the beginning of this season that we'd reach Nationals, just for you."

"Is…is that so?" My heart thumped. I was touched that the whole team had dedicated their season to me.

"Yeah." She nodded. "You're the only reason Kihi won Nationals last year."

I laughed. "You know that's not true."

She frowned. "But it is. If you hadn't gotten that 9.85, the team woulda been fourth place. Everybody was depending on you…" Clara looked down at her feet and sighed. "How did you put up with all the pressure?"

"Simple. Remember what I said about not looking around?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Exactly. I just didn't pay attention to the crowds." I closed my eyes and instinctively threw my hands to the ground and did a handstand. It didn't last very long – my leg couldn't take all of that pressure – and I came tumbling back down to the mat.

"You ok?" Clara asked, looking shocked.

I laughed out loud, my muscles aching from the attempt to do a simple handstand. "Ok? I feel great!! That felt great!!"

A smile slowly crept across Clara's face, and soon, she was laughing with me. "I can't believe you tried to do that!!"

"Well," I said, running my hand through my bangs to get them out of my eyes, "my mom's friend said I might be able to get this brace off by next month, and wear a leg sleeve instead. So…so I figured since my leg's getting better, I may as well get back into the act!"

"The Olympic trials are next May," Clara reminded me, "so you'll hafta work pretty hard!"

"Eleven months left till then…I can do it!" I stood up and prepared myself to try another handstand. "Say, could you help me with this?"

"How so?"

"Just hold my legs up." I got into the normal stance, and then threw my hands at the mat again, and lifted my legs up above me. My left leg wasn't liking this one bit, and was just starting to come down again when Clara grabbed it and my other leg, and held them up. I laughed in delight as I felt muscles that hadn't been worked out in a while actually tense up.

"Your leg's not gonna like you in the morning," Clara jokingly warned me.

"Who cares?!" I said as I started walking with my hands, my leotard-clad companion still holding onto my legs. Several of the other girls turned their heads in our direction as I walked like that all the way to the other side of the gym and back, giggling the whole way, in spite of the intense pain my leg was now in. And as I collapsed on the mat after I was done, I felt certain that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to make my leg regain its full strength again, and then I might actually be able to go to the Olympics…

…And get back into battle.

"Funny, I thought you were coming to support us," Clara joked as I was starting to leave. "It ended up turning into a workout for you!"

"Well, I had to lighten everyone up," I responded as I saw several of the other girls shake their heads in disbelief.

"Certainly worked for me! See ya!" she called out as I headed towards the door.

As I turned to wave back, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end again. I recognized the feeling and turned towards the door. I could've sworn somebody had been standing there, but there was no one there now. I shrugged to myself and walked out, now feeling a little uneasy as I looked around for anybody that might've been standing there.

_This is too weird,_ I thought. _It probably was just Linna looking for me. Who else could it have been?_

* * *

"Hello, Mrs. Ishiodori," I said, bowing.

"Hello there, Yumeko," Michiko's mom greeted back, doing likewise. "Michiko is in her room studying right now. Did you come to do homework with her?"

I nodded. "She said she needed help with her English homework."

She sighed. "She has so much trouble in that class. I'm sure she'd gladly appreciate your help. By the way, how have you been?"

"Me? I've been ok. My leg's getting better all the time."

"Come in, come in," she urged gently, stepping to the side so I could enter. When I sat down, she added, "I'm so glad to hear that. I want you to know that I've always been keeping you in my thoughts, and Michiko's been praying for you ever since you got that injury."

"Well gee, I'm glad to hear that."

She took my hand in hers, and said, "It's awful what the Knight Sabers did, jumping in on that summit like that, and blowing up the place."

I forced myself to swallow my pride to keep from lashing out at her.

"Do you know which one it was that hurt you?"

"Uh…no, I don't," I lied. "To be honest, I don't think it was the Knight Sabers that attacked the convention center."

She shook her head, looking sympathetic. "Dear, I'm so sorry. You must've blocked it all out, I'm sure."

_Blocked it out, my ass,_ I thought.

Our conversation was interrupted when Michiko suddenly came bursting out of her room. "Yumeko!!" she squealed when she saw me, and came running over. "So glad you're here!!"

"Hi!" I said.

"Do you girls want anything?" Michiko's mom asked.

"No, that's alright," I replied, standing up.

"We're ok, Mom," Michiko said as we walked into her bedroom. As she closed the door, she took a breath and meekly looked down at her feet.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Michiko was normally such a sunny and cheerful person; what could be bothering her?

"I overheard you two talking," she said in a low voice, looking up at me. "I know it wasn't the Knight Sabers that attacked the convention center, it couldn't have been them. Why would they attack the world leaders if they were the ones trying to solve the Boomer problem? It doesn't make sense."

"I think she's in denial."

She nodded. "So do I. I think her hatred for the Sabers is distorting her vision of reality or something. She hates them so much that she'll believe anything Genom says about them. I don't get it."

"It happens," I said, shrugging. "Some people are like that, I guess. So what part of the English homework are you having trouble with?"

"All of it," she groaned, opening up the textbook. "Like this question." I looked over her shoulder and looked at the question she was pointing at.

"What's so hard about it? All it's asking is what your favorite hobbies are."

"Yeah, but…I have to write about it in English."

"And?"

"I know the words, but…I don't know how to put them together."

"Have you written anything so far?"

"Yeah." She pointed to a piece of paper laying next to the book, and when I picked it up, I held in a snicker as I read what she'd written so far:

_A favorite hobie of me is act. I did Nurse in Romeo and Juriet pley. I love act from child-hood times. It very fun do._

I cleared my throat. "Ah…well…"

"See what I mean?" she groaned, noticing the look on my face. "My English is terrible."

"I understand what you're trying to say, but…have you looked these up in a Japanese-English dictionary? That would help you with the spellings, and help you not to confuse the l's and r's. I've noticed a lot of kids do that."

"I thought I spelled 'em ok. Besides, a lot of English words have the 'ie', right?"

"Yeah, but not all of them. Some use a 'y' instead, like in 'hobby'. In English, it's spelled H-O-B-B-Y. I think I can understand why you only spelled it with one 'b' instead of two like it's supposed to be, though."

"Well, when it's written in katakana, it only has one 'b': _hobii_," she said, confirming what I had thought. "So I figured it must've been like that when written in English, too."

I shook my head. "Not all the time. In English, they don't do the pauses before the double letters, like the 'kk', like we do in Japanese, so I can see why you'd be confused on whether to do a 'kk' or 'bb' or whatever, or not. All it takes is practice."

"I figured you'd say that," Michiko groaned, rolling her eyes. "But you've had practice your whole life, traveling the world with Priss and all."

I grinned. "Well, when you're little like I was, you learn faster, I guess."

"So what would it look like in correct English?"

I rewrote it for her so it looked like this:

_A favorite hobby of mine is acting. I played the role of Nurse in the Romeo and Juliet play. I've loved acting since I was a child. It's very fun to do._

Michiko looked at it and merely blinked in confusion. "It does look better to me, but…it's still confusing."

I laughed. "Yeah, English is a tough language."

"Mom says she's thought about getting me a personal tutor or sending me to _juku_," she said, starting to laugh, "but I figure, why waste the money when I've got you here?"

"True enough," I agreed, still snickering a bit. "And besides, I'm willing to work for free, unlike some jerks who'll charge 3,000 yen an hour to teach you hardly anything at all."

After spending a few hours helping each other with homework – I helped Michiko with the rest of her English homework, while she helped me with trigonometry – I decided to leave; I didn't want to be bugging anybody.

"Do you need a ride home?" Michiko's dad asked as he arrived home from his job.

"No, that's ok," I said, grabbing my backpack. "I don't mind taking the bus."

"You're welcome to stay for dinner," Michiko's mom offered. "We're having tempura."

"Yes, Adrienne's a wonderful cook," Mr. Ishiodori said. "Are you sure?"

My mouth watered at the thought of having tempura, but I shook my head. "I don't want to intrude. And besides, my mom's expecting me home."

"Well, ok. We'll have some extra set aside if you change your mind," he joked as I limped out the door.

"Thanks," I said as I left.

* * *

When I arrived back at my apartment building, I was quick to notice that Mom's motorcycle wasn't in the parking lot. I figured she must've gone somewhere to grab some fast food, although deep inside, I knew it must've been something else. She knew the number to Michiko's apartment, so if she was doing that, I was sure she would have at least called and told me so.

Which is why I hurried up as fast as I could to our apartment; I was hoping against hope that she hadn't gone out on another Boomer Hunt without telling me. I'd nearly had a heart attack from worry last time; surely she wouldn't pull the same stunt again! I turned on the TV and quickly flipped the channel to the evening news. And sure enough, they were reporting what I had feared.

"There are several Combat Boomers on the rampage in Roppongi district," the reporter said calmly. "They are reported to be 55C Boomers, and the SWAT team is attempting to dispatch them. However, several of the SWAT officers have been killed, and backup has yet to arrive."

"Aw hell!!" I said aloud, dropping my backpack on the floor. The reporter hadn't mentioned the Knight Sabers, so I assumed that they hadn't yet arrived to take care of the Boomers. Of course, it was also possible that Genom was telling the news stations not to mention the Sabers…

I kept that in my mind as I headed back downstairs to catch the next bus to district 3. I wasn't planning on jumping into the fight directly; I figured I could just sit back and wait, wait until, if at all, they needed help, then I'd jump in. I knew better this time, what with my leg far from being at full strength and all. I couldn't afford to just jump in without a plan of what to do.

When the bus arrived at district 3, I got off and walked the short distance to the Lady 633 building, then went into the parking garage and after the voice verification device positively identified me, went into the suit-up room.

"Hey, she repaired it!!" I exclaimed when I saw my hardsuit. No more gaping hole in the leg armor; it was all repaired and looking like it had never even had a dent before. My flight wings were looking just as good as ever as well, and the stomach armor gleamed as if it had just been polished. I noticed something else; instead of the normal glove on the left hand, there was an armored one, just like how it was on my right hand. I grinned like a Cheshire cat as I changed into my innerwear, setting my brace carefully aside, and stepped into the suit for the first time in three and a half months.

"I should thank Sylia later," I reminded myself jokingly as the armor folded itself over my torso and limbs. Once I was suited up, I tried moving my flight wings to make sure they were working ok. As I heard them click when they opened up, I grinned widely again. It'd been too long since I was last in this thing. I closed the wings and tried doing a back-handspring. I could do it just as easily as ever, with the exception that I stumbled when I landed on my feet again, falling to the ground on my butt as a result. I merely laid back and laughed.

Trying out my repaired hardsuit was going to be fun!!

…Or so I thought at the time.

* * *

"Yahoo!!"

I went zipping through the sky at high-speed, not wanting to miss out on my first battle in three and a half months. Soaring through the sky like a bird again; what a feeling. I did a few twists in the air and sped up; as much as I wanted to take my time and savor the moment, I didn't want to get to the battlefield too late, either.

A sudden explosion filled my ears, and when I looked ahead to see where it came from, I saw a plume of smoke starting to rise from between some buildings.

"Heh, gotta love smoke signals," I quipped as I deactivated my flight wings and went dropping to the roof of a building below, starting up my thrusters at the last moment to make sure I didn't go splat all over. As I landed, I stumbled back a little bit, but other than that, a perfect landing. I crouched down and ran my scanner for the Boomers and Mom and the others. After a moment, it detected them about a kilometer ahead of me, along with three BU-55C Boomers. _Those kind again?,_ I thought. This battle surely wouldn't take long. I sighed and crouched down a little more, stretching my bad leg out to the side, since it couldn't bend that much yet.

I continued running my scanner, watching the movements of the Sabers and the Boomers. I saw the dot that indicated the blue Saber – Mom – rush towards one of the Boomer dots, and the Boomer dot suddenly flashed red at the exact moment I heard a distant explosion.

"Musta used her Knuckle Bomber," I guessed as the dot flashed a few more times, then went grey, indicating it was destroyed. This was almost like watching one of those really old video games from back in the twentieth century. It was amusing. I next saw the dot that indicated Linna head towards another Boomer, along with the dot indicating Sylia, and I watched as those two dots closed in on the Boomer dot and attacked it until it, too, went grey.

I looked down at my hands and saw they were shaking. I noticed that my whole body, in fact, was shaking too. Ah, the excitement of being in a battle…sorta. I'd never been out of a battle for this long; the adrenaline rush seemed almost foreign to me now, but oh, how glorious it was to feel it again.

As I watched the last Boomer dot turn grey, I sighed and smiled.

"Well, I guess they won't be needing me after all," I said to myself, grinning.

"Yes," I suddenly heard a deep voice say from behind me, "but you might be needing some help yourself."

My body froze in shock as I heard a VERY large gun get aimed and cocked at the back of my head. Where had this guy come from?! I pondered what to do for a moment, my mind suddenly getting cloudy.

"Turn around VERY slowly," he ordered. I hesitantly looked over my shoulder, then jumped in surprise and backed up against the guard rail.

"Wha…wha…what are…?!" I stammered, panic-stricken, my legs shaking underneath me.

"What are we?" he finished. "Boomers, plain and simple. And if you cooperate, we won't have to rough you up too badly."

I tried in vain to swallow the lump in my throat that had settled there. "What do you want with ME? I'm no one special."

The man smirked. "Sure you are…Yumeko."

"How…?!" He knew my identity?! How in the world did he know?!

"No need to go into detail. Now just be a good girl and come with us."

"In…your dreams!!" I snapped as I jump-kicked the gun – actually something that looked like a bazooka – he held with my Leg Bomber and leaped over the side of the building.

"Get her!! GET HER!!" he yelled at the Boomers behind him. They quickly gave chase, and no sooner had I landed on the sidewalk than they were there, running after me. I tried dashing across the street, but my leg badly slowed me down, and I ended up stumbling more than once. I didn't get very far, of course, before one of the Boomers landed in front of me. I stopped and turned around to run the other way, but the other Boomer was there. I yelped and took a step back, looking towards the first Boomer again, only to see it charging towards me. A split-second later, I felt the air be violently expelled from my lungs as the Boomer thrust its fist into my stomach. I stumbled backwards, only to have the second Boomer come at me also, kicking me in the side. I screamed as I skidded across the pavement on my back, coming to a stop on the sidewalk.

"No…no fair!!" I protested as I wobbled to my feet, wincing at the sharp pain in my side. Now THIS was a change from what I'd been expecting when I decided to come out to begin with. I certainly hadn't been expecting an ambush.

"Nobody said this was going to be fair," the red Boomer – the one that had punched me in the stomach – snapped back as it charged at me again. I opened my flight wings and took to the air, and thought I'd gotten out of the way when all of a sudden, I felt a big hand latch onto my ankle. I pushed my wings as hard as they could've been, but the Boomer still held on, and ended up throwing me into the wall of the building across the street.

"Given up yet?" the second Boomer – a grey one – inquired as I got up again, holding my side.

I shook my head slowly. "Why…why would I? You bastards ain't nothing compared to what I've fought before."

"Is that a fact? Then why are you getting whooped so badly?"

"Try asking me that again in about five minutes," I advised as I activated my jumpjets and sped towards the grey Boomer. It raised up its fist, ready to attack, but before it could, I fired a few of my discs at it. Its torso jerked as the discs pierced it and came bursting out of the back. As it tried to get ready for my next move, I jumped and kicked it in the head with my Leg Bombers, then popped out my lasersword and stabbed it through the chest and withdrew before the Boomer could grab my arm.

"Now who's getting whooped?" I inquired as the Boomer put a hand to its bleeding chest.

"Still you," I heard the red Boomer say. I turned to face it, only to be met with a hurling fist. I jumped back just in time to avoid it, and thrust my own fist at it, ready to blow its brains out with my Knuckle Bomber. No such luck; the Boomer grabbed my arm, turned me around, and flung me. It then opened up its chest and fired its heat cannon. I raised up my arm to block it, but it didn't help much as the intense heat slammed into me, sending me reeling.

"Ok, ok…" I said slowly. "This isn't much fun anymore…"

"For you, perhaps not," the red Boomer quipped.

_I gotta get outta here,_ I thought as I rubbed my forearm, which now hurt like hell. _I don't have the advantage on the ground._ I snapped open my flight wings and took to the air again, this time making double sure that one of the Boomers wouldn't be able to grab me by the leg or ankle again.

"This again?" the grey Boomer muttered as it activated its jumpjets. As it gave chase, leaping from the roof of one building to another, it suddenly came to me: this was why I must have gotten beaten up so badly at the Boomer summit. _I didn't have as much room to fight in,_ I realized. _There was no way I could've used my wings inside. And those damn Boomers knew it too…_

I was snapped back to reality when I heard a blast from the Boomer's mouth cannon. I instantly deactivated my flight wings and went dropping to the ground, or so I would've had the Boomer believe, to avoid the blast. It fired at me again before I would've hit the ground, but just before I did just that, I reactivated my wings and came speeding up towards it. I popped out my lasersword and as I reached the Boomer, slashed upwards from its belly up through its head.

"Yes!!" I cheered. "Gotcha!!"

"Not quite," I heard the red Boomer say as I felt its foot slam into my back. I gasped with surprise as I went crashing back down to the street. "There's still me, too."

"Heh…I didn't forget," I spat at it, then grinned. "C'mon, you too chicken to fight me?"

"Hardly." It looked back at its grey companion, who I'd thought woulda been dead for sure. But when I saw it stand up under its own power, looking good as new, I was left dumbstruck.

"That thing…can close up its own wounds…?" I wondered aloud. This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought… "Hmph…well, guess I just gotta make ya BLEED to death, eh?"

"Just try it," the grey Boomer encouraged.

"Oh, you bet I will," I mumbled as the red one jumped down from its perch. _Just gotta make it so they're not able to close their wounds,_ I told myself as the Boomer charged towards me. _Gotta make it bleed to death…shouldn't be that hard, right?_ I started running to meet the Boomer head-on, but as I stepped with my left leg, I stumbled, which took me by surprise. The Boomer took full advantage of this slip-up, and punched me in the chest, which sent me flying back a few meters. As I tried to regain my composure, it fired its heat cannon at me again. I managed to use my jumpjets to leap up and get out of the way of the blast this time, but my luck didn't last.

"Whew, too close," I said breathlessly. At that instant, I looked over to the building where I'd seen the grey Boomer last. It wasn't there anymore. And before I could react, I detected it right behind me. I gasped.

"Game over," it said as I felt its fist slam into my shoulder. I screamed and went sailing down to the pavement below, bouncing once I hit it.

"Ah…ow…" I moaned as I tried to get up, my whole body trembling with the effort. My entire left shoulder felt like a vessel of pain now, and when I leaned on it for support, I cried out with the resulting pain. I looked over my shoulder and saw the grey Boomer still in the air, starting to fire several laser blasts at me. "Whoa!!" I yelled as I rolled to the side to avoid them. I could feel the ground shaking beneath me as the lasers hit and made the pavement seemingly explode. I laid there for a few seconds, panting, when I then heard the Boomer fire its mouth cannon. I leaped forward into an alley just in time to avoid that blast as well.

After the blast hit the ground and exploded, I slowly got to my feet and grabbed my left shoulder, then looked back. There was a cloud of smoke blocking my view, but I could still detect the Boomers on the other side of it.

"I…I gotta get out of here," I groaned, my legs wobbling underneath me. I tried to move my arm, but my shoulder heavily protested the movement, and I jumped as it flared up in pain again. _Geez, they really messed it up,_ I thought as I winced.

I heard some movement behind a dumpster, and I slowly limped over to where it came from. There, I saw a girl crouching down, sobbing.

"Hey…hey, you ok?" I asked. The girl looked up at me, and I had to keep myself from gasping. _It's Ana!!,_ I thought.

"Don't….don't hurt me," she pleaded, her hands covering the top and sides of her head.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I assured her. "Hell, I'm the one getting beat up here. Get outta here."

"But…but the Boomers…"

"Get out of here or you're gonna get killed!" I ordered. Ana didn't budge an inch. I didn't exactly blame her, but then again, this was probably her only chance to escape. I pointed to the other end of the alley and said, "Get out through that way. Go!"

"Wrong answer," I heard the grey Boomer say as it blocked the end of the alley to which I had just pointed. I yelped in surprise while Ana curled up even more and started crying again. I turned around quickly to look at the other end, and sure enough, the red Boomer was blocking that end, too.

"Shit!" I swore, backing away. My leg flinched when I stepped with it, ready to buckle. Could things possibly get worse?!

"Who's your little friend behind here?" the red Boomer inquired, yanking away the dumpster and revealing Ana. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Don't touch her!!" I ordered, every wound on my body starting to make their presence known. "I swear, if you do anything to her…"

"What're you gonna do?" the grey Boomer chided, taking aim at Ana. I looked from the grey Boomer back to the red one, and saw it, too, was taking aim. I heard Ana let out a little cry as she prepared herself for the end.

"I said DON'T!!" I yelled, motioning with my hands for them to stop, my shoulder protesting the movement. I looked at both of them out of the corners of my eye, waiting for them to make their move. I could feel the tension in the air as they both kept their aim on Ana, expecting me to pull some amazing stunt. But there was only one thing I could do, and I did it.

I leaped to cover up Ana with my own body, and at that exact same moment, both Boomers fired. I felt the blasts slam into my sides, and I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth, trying not to scream, yet trying to cover up Ana more at the same time.

"Huh?!" I could hear her say.

"I said I won't let them hurt you," I panted, the pain excruciating. "I meant it." It was times like this that I wondered why the hell I had to be so unselfish sometimes.

"You…"

"This isn't doing you any good," the red Boomer said as it fired at me again. I cried out in pain as the blast hit me again. The grey Boomer followed suit, and soon I felt another blast slam into me. They repeated that several times, and each time, the pain only grew, and my patience lessened. I had to end this…but how?

"Why are you doing this?" Ana sobbed as I gritted my teeth and put up with the pain racking my entire body by now.

"It's my duty," I managed to groan. "You got…mixed up in this, and I'm making – agh!! – sure that you get out of it."

She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at me as I took another blast, feeling like I was going to pass out. "I know you…"

"Huh?" I said, my eyes starting to tear up from all this pain.

"It's…it's YOU!!" I could've sworn she even started to frown a little bit, in spite of the fact that she was very close to getting killed. "Yumeko, it's you!!"

"Had enough yet?" the grey Boomer said, taking aim again.

_Actually, yes, quite enough,_ I thought, my torso numb with pain. _Think, think, how do I get out of this without letting Ana get hurt?_

"Time's up," the red Boomer said, firing again. I didn't even cry out anymore as the blast hit me; I felt the impact, but the pain was just…there.

"STOP IT!!" I screamed, abruptly standing up and backing away from Ana, backing up until I almost had my back against the other wall. "This…this is enough…"

"Oh really?"

I snapped my head in the red Boomer's direction, then in the direction of the grey Boomer. "You can do whatever you want with me, but…but…you have to let this girl go…"

"What are you DOING?!" Ana snapped, looking absolutely terrified.

"I know what I'm doing," I sighed, trying my hardest not to collapse. "I'll do whatever you bastards want, but only if you let this girl go."

The red Boomer lowered its gun. "No tricks, right?"

I shook my head. "Do I look like I could pull any right now?"

Ana slowly stood up, looking around to make sure nobody was going to suddenly shoot her. "This is insane…"

"Yeah, but that's why I'm a Knight Saber," I quipped. "You gotta be insane to want to fight Boomers."

"True enough…"

"You have four seconds," the red Boomer warned, stepping to the side. Ana just stood there, petrified.

"GO!!" I ordered. "I'll be fine!!"

Ana stood there for a second, then broke into a run and sped down the alley and past the red Boomer. Once she was gone, the Boomer stepped back into the alley. "There. She's gone."

"Well, at least you let her go."

"Don't forget, there's your part of the bargain too." It stepped closer to me, and when I backed away, I heard the grey Boomer take a step closer, too.

"Oh, right," I groaned. "So…what now?"

"You'll see." It aimed the palm of its hand at me, and suddenly, some tentacle-like things popped out and raced towards me.

"Wha?!" I said dumbfoundedly. I turned to run, in spite of the fact that the grey Boomer was blocking my way, but the tentacles wrapped themselves around me, preventing me from getting anywhere. The grey Boomer did the same movement, and I tried running the other way, but in a matter of seconds, both Boomers had me bound. I screamed and jerked myself in all directions, trying in vain to get myself free, but to no avail. "Let me go!!" I demanded.

"Just keep quiet, why dontcha?" the grey Boomer said. I heard an electrical current being delivered through the tentacles, and I felt its effect shortly thereafter. My body jerked as I felt a huge shockwave being sent throughout. I shrieked as it kept coming and coming, and then, just as abruptly as it started, it ended. I stood there swaying for a few seconds, and as the Boomers withdrew the tentacles, I went slumping to the ground.

"Heh. Good job," I heard the man who'd accompanied the two Boomers say. "Sure did a number on her."

I put my hands to the ground and tried to push myself up, using what little strength I had left. _Gotta…get outta here…,_ I kept thinking, even though I could feel the man's eyes boring into me as he looked down at me.

"I figured as much," I heard him say as he observed the scene. A second later, I felt something slam hard into the back of my head. My vision flashed white for a moment, then I went collapsing to the pavement again.

As the curtain of blackness covered me, I heard him say one last thing.

"Ok. Take her."

* * *

"That was almost too easy," I sighed, smirking as I leaned back against the wall of the equipment van.

"No kidding," Linna agreed. "I didn't even break a sweat. Thanks for the little upgrades on the suits, too, Sylia."

"It was something that had to be done," Sylia said coolly.

"This'll make killing Boomers twice as fun." Linna grinned and laughed.

"Twice as messy," I concurred, not that I was complaining or anything.

Nene lifted up her visor, looking concerned about something. "Something's not right here…"

"What do you mean?" Sylia asked.

"I'm…I'm detecting Yumeko's hardsuit. But the only thing is, she's not out here as far as I know."

"What?!" I yelled, instantly flipping my visor down to scan for it. After what happened last time, it probably wouldn't surprise me if she'd decided to tag along. After a few seconds, sure enough, Yume's suit showed up on the scanner, southwest of where we were, and moving due west. "Looks like she wanted to help us."

"She knows she can't do that," Sylia said; I could've sworn I even heard her grumble a little bit.

"Hey, you're right," Mackie said after he scanned for Yume, too. "But the only thing is, why's she heading due west when there's nothing there?"

"Here's why," Sylia said, after scanning some more. "There's several Boomers with her."

"But…I didn't detect them before," Nene protested. "I would've detected them if they were close by."

"Shit," I cursed, opening up the roof hatch. "I'm gonna go save her."

"Priss!" Sylia yelled. I stopped climbing through and looked at her. "We can't just dive in without knowing what we're up against. We need a plan first."

"I knew it'd only be a matter of time…" Linna muttered to herself as she pulled her helmet back on. "Like mother, like daughter." I frowned at her.

"Ok," I sighed, climbing back down. "So, what do you recommend we should do?"

* * *

As I slowly came to, I could make out some muddled sounds around me. As they slowly became clearer, I could make out the sound of a vehicle going down the road – and I was in it. My eyes fluttered open as I slowly realized what had happened and what was going on now. But when I turned my head, the back of it started throbbing with pain. I winced and blinked a couple times, as the pain was making me see spots.

"Ah. She's awake," I heard a man say as he walked towards me. I didn't look up to him; it would make my head hurt too much. "Heh, not even a hello?"

"Why would I say hello when we've already met?" I muttered, my voice barely audible. I tried moving my arm, but it was bound to my side. I opened my eyes again and looked down; both the Boomers had me bound with their tentacles again.

"Well," I heard him say, "we're gonna be hangin' around each other for a little while, so we might as well get acquainted, right?"

I lifted my head up and looked at him; I noticed that part of his face and one eye was cybernetic, as well as most of his body below the chest. "So…you a Boomeroid or what?"

"Ah, you've heard of 'em. Actually, yes, I am." He leaned back against the wall of the truck, looking at me for a few seconds, then shook his head.

"What now?" I asked.

"You're a kid… What's a kid doing fighting a meaningless war?" He eyed me up and down, then looked me in the face; it was just now that I noticed my visor was lifted up. "Look at you, decked out in armor and shit… It's like what they do in Third World countries, giving 12-year-olds machine guns and telling them to massacre a whole village."

"Except I'm not out to massacre a whole village."

"What, you don't consider the Boomer community a village?" he quipped. "So tell me, why did the Knight Sabers recruit a teenager to help them out?"

I scowled. "Why would it matter to you?"

He smirked. "Because at the place where we're taking you, you'll be asked the same thing, and more."

"Who wants to do what to me, anyway? I didn't see anybody going to kidnap my friends. Why just me?"

"I can't say. You'll see when you get there."

"Get where?"

"Pushy little thing, arentcha."

I raised an eyebrow and said in an overly sarcastic tone, "Well, I need to know, so the coroner can put down the right place of death on my death certificate."

The man grinned and chuckled. "Let's just say that your friends will be too far away to save you."

_Yeah right, bub,_ I thought, setting my HUD on Auto Motoslave Mode. _We'll see what you have to say about that._

"What was that beeping?" he suddenly fired, storming towards me and getting in my face. "I heard a beeping from your helmet. What was it?!"

"What beeping?" I asked innocently. "Maybe it was your battery running low." I was cut off when he suddenly thrust his fist into my stomach. I let out a strangled yell and started coughing as the wave of pain spread upwards into my sore ribs. I sat there and gasped for air for a few seconds, only to scream when the man then clubbed me in the shoulder.

"I want you to tell me what that beeping was," he grumbled as my eyes teared up from the intense pain I was starting to feel all over again.

"It…wasn't anything," I spat, the sweat trickling down my face.

The man turned away and snorted. "Ah well. Once 'they' get you out of that armor, then they'll be able to figure out what each little signal is for."

I winced at my throbbing shoulder. "Geez, you didn't hafta hit me that hard. It's messed up as it is."

"I know that," he said as he faced me again. "It's broken."

"How do you know?"

"I scanned you for injuries earlier. That's the only major one." He smirked. "Which is why you're tied up right now."

"It's not like I could do much if I weren't tied up anyway," I murmured, referring to my leg.

"Sure you could. Those wings of yours helped, for a bit."

I looked down at the floor and thought for a moment. How had he known my name? I sucked in a breath, looked up at him again, and asked, "By the way…how did you know my name earlier?"

"Your name? From TV."

"TV?"

"Your gymnastics competitions. Not to mention you were in the list of injured from the summit incident. Two really big names on that list; Priss Asagiri, lead singer for the Replicants, and Yumeko Asagiri, daughter of Priss, one of the top-ranked gymnasts in the world. Heh."

"So what?"

"So? So aren't you curious as to how 'we' know about your double life, little Yumeko?" He tapped my faceplate with his finger. "And don't you think for a moment that you can hide behind this tinted faceplate, because your face is still the same. It's like comparing a black-and-white picture of you to a color picture of you. Only the color is different, but it's still the same person."

"Sir?" I heard the driver of the truck call to him. "We'll be arriving at our destination in about fifteen minutes, sir."

"Good, good," he replied, then turned back to me. "So, where were we?"

"I think you were talking about how you're so full of shit that it's a wonder my sense of smell hasn't been damaged for life just from taking one whiff of you," I wisecracked. The man grumbled under his breath, and I even smirked for a moment.

"Do you really want another shock treatment that badly?" he quipped, looking at the two Boomers that had me bound.

I paled. "Well…when you put it that way…"

He sneered. "I thought so."

I was about to answer when my HUD suddenly picked up something heading towards us. I scanned for it, then tried to keep a straight face as I realized what it was. _Looks like the cavalry's here,_ I thought.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I replied, trying not to smile or laugh like a maniac.

"You're up to something, aren't you?"

"I thought I already said I can't do anything when I'm tied up like this."

"Uh, sir?" the driver said. "There's something heading towards us at a high speed."

"What is it?!" he demanded.

"I…I dunno. But—"

Before the driver could finish, something slammed into the truck HARD. I screamed as the truck was flipped over on its side and sent the Boomers, the man, and me all tumbling around the truck like clothes getting thrown around in a dryer. The truck went skidding a ways before coming to a stop.

"What the hell was THAT?!" the man yelled, getting to his feet, then stormed towards me, flat on my back and still tightly bound by the other two Boomers. He grabbed me by the neck and yelled, "You called your friends, didn't you!!"

"Y'know how many times I've been grabbed by the neck?" I asked dryly, my whole body sore after taking that spill. The man was about to answer when there was a loud boom, followed by a huge figure stomping into the truck through a hole that it had made in the wall of it. My Motoslave.

"Monsoon!!" I yelled, practically jumping for joy.

"What are YOU?!" the man asked the Motoslave, grabbing his bazooka-gun, which had a fairly large dent in it from when I'd kicked it. The Motoslave merely stomped towards him and swatted the bazooka aside, then fired its own gun at the two Boomers. The blasts severed the tentacles that held me, and after they fell to the ground, I let out a breath and fell to my hands and knees.

"Great timing," I sighed with relief as I struggled to my feet. "Think you can take care of these bastards for me?"

"Not so fast!!" the man snapped as he ran towards me, only to be blocked when Monsoon stepped in front of me, blocking his path.

"You'll hafta get through my friend here first," I taunted as I activated my jumpjets – my wings were too damaged to function – and jetted out through the hole the Motoslave had made moments before. I jetted a ways before setting myself down in the street, my legs almost buckling on me once I landed. I groaned and put my hand to my shoulder; it was pounding again. _Just hope Monsoon can take care of those Boomers by itself,_ I thought.

"You gotta make 'em bleed to death!!" I yelled to it as I heard lots of gunfire ensue. "They can close up their wounds!! Keep firing!!"

I heard the explosions and gunfire for a few moments afterwards, then I saw the red Boomer come out through the left side of the truck, Monsoon storming after it. I gasped as the Motoslave punched through its stomach, then as the blood came gushing out of it, punched its head off, sending it slumping to the ground, twitching.

"All right!!" I cheered. The moment didn't last long; out of the front of the truck, I saw another Boomer burst its way out and jet towards me. _The driver was a Boomer too? Just great,_ I thought with dread as it charged at me. I tried backing away, only to stumble and fall as my sore legs gave out. "Damn!!" I cursed to myself as the Boomer reached me, swinging its fist at my head. I rolled out of the way just in time to avoid it, and as the Boomer was about to attack again, I aimed at its torso and fired three of my discs through it. It jerked as the discs traveled through it, but instead of collapsing to the ground like I'd expected, it reached down and grabbed me by the shoulder and squeezed.

"LET GO!!" I screamed as I opened up my Pulse-Strikers and activated them. The Boomer froze like a statue, paralyzed, and started convulsing, which gave me the chance to get up and fight, my shoulder now hurting to the point where I couldn't even move that arm.

"You're gonna pay for that," I swore as I popped out my lasersword. Right when I did, however, the Boomer, which was supposed to be completely paralyzed, suddenly swatted me away. I landed on my back hard, crying out in pain again when the Boomer kicked me in the side, which sent me rolling a few feet.

"What…the HELL!!" I snapped as I slowly sat up, holding my shoulder. "You're supposed to be paralyzed, dammit!!" I wobbled to my feet, preparing for my next move. I couldn't understand what was wrong; a 55C Boomer was normally no problem for me to beat by myself, so why was I getting pounded by one?!

The Boomer opened its mouth wide, and I saw why: it was preparing to fire its mouth cannon at me. I braced myself for the attack, and right when it was about to fire, Monsoon came out of nowhere and punched the Boomer through its back and out its chest. After withdrawing its fist, the Boomer, like the red one, slumped to the ground, dead.

I stood there blinking for a moment, then sighed in relief. "Nice one," I said, looking up at the Motoslave. "Don't think…I coulda…done it without you…" I winced at my wounds; the adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off, and now I was starting to feel the fatigue. I took a few steps towards Monsoon, my hand to my shoulder, and smiled. "If I said anything about…not using you again 'cause you were too hard to handle…then…heh…I take it all back…" I started to sway, ready to faint, but the Motoslave put a hand to my chest to hold me up, then picked me up in its arms, cradling me.

"Hey…I didn't say…" I started to protest, but as I felt the strength leaving me, and the blackness starting to close in on me again, I knew better. "But…thanks anyway…"

In the distance, I heard a van driving up, and the sound of Mom and Linna's voices yelling for me. I closed my eyes and sighed. _I'm in for it now,_ I thought as unconsciousness took ahold of me again. _If the Boomers didn't kill me…Sylia will…_

* * *

"I don't think I've ever seen anybody who attracts as much trouble as you," Sylia said as I stood in front of her meekly, looking down at the floor while she spoke; how could I look her in the face after all the trouble I caused?

"It's…not like I ASKED to be kidnapped…" I mumbled, scuffing the sole of my shoe on the floor. "How was I supposed to know there was an ambush waiting for me?"

"That's not the point, Yumeko. The point is that you went out in your hardsuit in spite of the fact that you're still walking with a brace, not to mention against my orders. There are no solo actions allowed, period."

"I see where Yume's coming from, though, Sylia," Mom spoke up. I looked at her as she leaned against the wall. "She just wanted to help us if we needed it."

"Don't try defending her. At this point of time, Priss, she's more of a liability than a help. You should know that." Sylia sighed and directed her eyes at me again. I looked down again in response. "I need a moment alone with her. Could you leave for a moment?"

"Uh, sure," Mom said hesitantly. She looked at me for a moment, with that look in her eyes that said she wanted to help more, but couldn't. When she left, it was just me and Sylia in the room. I sighed, then looked away again. What was I supposed to do? I knew Sylia would be mad, but since I'd never seen her mad before, I didn't know what exactly she would do to punish me for what I did. Enforce Rule 11, perhaps?

"So…anything to say?" Sylia inquired.

"I just…wanted to help, like Mom said," I said weakly. "I was just trying to keep a distance so I wouldn't get in the way. I was only planning on jumping in if you guys needed help."

"The Boomers we fought were three 55Cs. What made you think we would need help?"

I didn't know how to respond, and Sylia knew that all too well. I could tell because when I didn't answer, a small smirk formed on her lips.

"I…" I started to say, my voice trembling. "I…was just worried. After what happened with the BU-33Bs, I just…wanted to make sure nobody got hurt, I guess."

"You guess? Yumeko, we have much more experience at this than you do. We know what we're doing."

"And I thought I knew what I was doing, but…I just messed things up again. Like I always do…"

"You don't always mess things up," Sylia admitted. I snapped my head up at her in surprise. "You've helped us quite a bit since you joined the Knight Sabers. However, you still have a lot to learn."

"I'm not…not even supposed to be doing this," I moaned, the tears springing up in my eyes. "I'm seventeen… I'm not supposed to be out fighting Boomers, or having to worry about somebody trying to kill me. You KNOW that I nearly got shot in the head a few weeks back!! How am I supposed to deal with that?! Just go along my merry way, pretending everything's just peachy keen? I can't do it!!" I ground the tears out of my eyes with my fist.

"Just remember that you agreed to join the Knight Sabers," Sylia reminded me. "No one forced you to do it."

I blinked in surprise. I hadn't been expecting that sort of remark. "I…guess it didn't sink in until it was too late, how dangerous this job really is, anyway." Sylia nodded attentively. "But anyway, like I was saying…how am I supposed to pretend everything's fine NOW, when I know for a fact that the bastards at Genom DO know who I am?!"

Sylia's eyes widened a bit at that last remark. "How do you know?" she asked, a bit of interest in her voice.

"The Boomeroid guy called me by name…and recognized my face…"

"I see…"

"Maybe…I should just save them the trouble, and take myself out…" I took my gun out and pulled the slide back. "At least they won't have to waste any of their own bullets on me if I do the job myself…"

Sylia grabbed the gun and yanked it out of my hand, frowning. "Do you really think that will make the situation better? You'll just be giving them what they want."

I frowned as well. "Well then…you can do it. This is what Rule 11's there for, right? I broke the rules, and I gotta pay."

"I've never enforced Rule 11, and I'm not going to start with you," she said flatly. "Sometimes, these lessons must be taught the hard way. You've proved that much, with all the injuries you've gotten in the course of being a Knight Saber."

"Some lesson," I groaned.

"You really surprised us, you know," she said suddenly. "We were planning on how to rescue you, and then out of the blue, your Motoslave is activated and heads out."

I smirked. "No other way out, so I had to pull out the big guns."

Sylia suddenly got a strange look on her face, like she was in deep thought. I had an idea about what she was pondering; why would those Boomers have only come after me, and not them as well? I brought it up, and she admitted that's what she was thinking about.

"It is indeed strange that they've only shown an interest in you, and not the rest of us as well."

"Maybe it's because they know my identity and not anybody else's, but…"

"But what?"

"Mom's hinted that…that they might know hers as well. Y'know when that one female Boomer almost gutted me? She told me she thought it was originally after her, but can't explain how Genom might know her identity as well as mine."

"I'll have to try and figure that out, then."

"There's something else that's been bugging me, too…" I added, rubbing my shoulder.

"What's that?"

"I feel like somebody's been watching me lately. I must be going crazy, but every now and then I just feel somebody watching me behind my back, but when I turn around, there's nobody there."

"Has anybody around you started to take an unusual interest in you?"

I thought for a moment. "Well…Boh, I guess."

"Who's Boh?"

"He's a kid at my school that started going there a few days before I went back."

Sylia's eyes grew hard, which concerned me a bit, and made me a bit nervous, to boot. "What kind of interest has he taken in you?"

"Well…it's nothing really. Linna just thinks he might have a crush on me or something."

"I'll check up on it. In the meantime, try and be careful. And I don't want to see you trying to follow us in your hardsuit again. We don't need the officials at your school to be on your case," she warned, patting me on the shoulder. I cried out in pain and grabbed it. "See what I mean?"

"Y…yeah," I said, my eyes watering from the pain. _She did that on purpose!!,_ I thought, annoyed, as she motioned for me to follow her so she could take care of my injuries.


	5. Friendship

The next morning was slow to come. After getting my injuries taken care of – and my shoulder now in a sling – it was nice to be able to lay down, but whatever move I made hurt; it was hard to find a position to lay in without my new bruises making their presence known. As a result, I spent a large portion of the night just tossing and turning, and when I felt the sunlight hit my eyes, I refused to believe it was already the next day.

"Can't…be…" I groaned, turning my head so the light wouldn't be shining in my eyes. I turned my body so I'd be laying on my side, but I ended up laying on my broken shoulder.

"Owwww!!" I hollered as I jumped from the pain and fell out of bed. I lay there sprawled out on the floor, my shoulder throbbing. "Damn it all!!"

"You ok?" I heard Mom ask as she ran into the bedroom.

"Y-yeah, I guess," I replied.

"You're not thinking about going to school like that, are you?"

I thought for a moment. "Well…as much as I'd LOVE to stay home…I think it'd just make people suspicious if I stayed home from school…"

"I could just call in and tell 'em you're sick. It's not like there's no such thing as getting sick or anything."

I shook my head and sat up, my ribs throbbing; they were still more than a little sore from all those blasts I'd took from the Boomers. "No, no, I'll…I'll be ok."

"The sling is gonna make people more suspicious than you staying home is," she pointed out.

"I'm not gonna wear the sling."

Mom raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "Better be prepared to come up with a good excuse, then."

"Excuse?"

"Sling or no sling, you honestly think nobody is going to notice that you're walking around stiff as a mummy?"

I paled at the thought. "I could probably come up with something…"

Mom shook her head. "Your principal is already thinking that I'm being negligent. If they take notice of your shoulder and shit, I'll be accused of beating you up," she said, half-joking. "It'd be best if you stayed home, I think."

"Well…could you give me some of what's left of that morphine? Maybe if the pain's numbed up, I won't be walking around funny as much."

"It won't change the fact that your shoulder's broken," she sighed as I stood up and rubbed my shoulder. "It'll be both our asses if the officials at your school get wind of this."

"It'll be fine," I assured her. All I had to do was confront Ana and make up a story with her. She knew my identity and what had happened; if any of the teachers or the principal found out about my wounds, at least we'd have a half-decent explanation as to what happened. Couldn't be that hard, right? She owed me her life, after all; surely she wouldn't backstab me after I did THAT for her…

* * *

As I approached the school, I took a few deep breaths. _Remember, just act normal,_ I reminded myself. I rubbed my shoulder again; even after I'd taken some medicine for the pain, it still was extremely stiff, and the pain had merely dulled. My ribs felt the same way, but on the bright side, at least my arm felt normal. I walked in past the metal detectors – which got set off once again, thanks to the rods and plates in me – and headed towards my locker. I'd made sure to get there early, so if I did happen to act strange, at least no one would be around to see it.

When I got to my locker, I opened it up to get out my books. I set my backpack down on the floor, unzipped it, and went to grab my literature book out of my locker when suddenly, I felt someone's hand clamp down on my shoulder and squeeze.

"OW!!" I yelled. I turned to see who had done that, and of all people, it was Ana.

"So…" she muttered, "it was you after all…"

"M…me?" I faltered, suddenly losing my nerve. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about," she snapped, then lowered her voice. "You're the one that saved me from those Boomers last night."

"Boomers?"

"Stop playing dumb!! I…I appreciate it…" She looked up at me again. "I can't believe you'd show up here after…after the beating you took."

"It's…it's nothing," I stammered, paling.

"Just curious, though…what happened after I got away?"

"I'd rather not discuss it," I said, shuddering at the memory.

"Ok, that's fine. But…have you been a Knight Saber all this time? Since they showed up again last October?" I nodded. "Well, that WOULD explain the weird injuries you've shown up with. And I guess it would also explain why you freaked out and broke my nose that one time."

"I'm just hoping you're not gonna go and tell everyone about this," I mumbled.

"It WOULD make a lovely scandal, wouldn't it?" Ana said, suddenly brightening and getting an evil grin on her face.

"You wouldn't--!!" I yelled.

She calmed down and shook her head. "You've been through enough shit. Exposing your double-life is the last thing you need."

I just stood there and blinked in surprise. Had Ana just said what I thought she said? She was really going to keep this between us? I wasn't so sure…

"You haven't told anybody, have you?"

"No. My parents did ask how I got outta there, and I merely said 'A Knight Saber saved me', end of story. Maru doesn't know, either."

I sighed in relief. "Well, I hope you'll keep this to yourself."

As she turned and walked down the hall, she said, "I owe you my life. I can't pay you back for it, but…at least I can make sure your secret stays that way."

_What I went through for her,_ I thought as I continued taking my books out of my locker. _Maybe…maybe my faith wasn't so misplaced after all…_

But of course, surviving class was another matter.

* * *

When I walked into my literature class a minute before the tardy bell rang, I was greeted by Michiko, who seemed excited enough. She was always like this the night after the Knight Sabers appeared.

"Yumeko! Good morning!" she said in a singsong voice as I groaned, dropped my backpack to the floor, and sat down at my desk.

"Morning."

"Y'know what I heard from a few kids today? That the purple Knight Saber appeared again last night!"

"Is that a fact?"

She nodded, her eyes gleaming. "Yeah! I think it's weird, because the last time the Sabers were out, there were just the original four. And that this time, the purple one appeared by herself. She wasn't near the others at all."

I tried swallowing the lump in my throat, but to no avail. "R-really?"

"Uh-huh." She gazed at me for a moment, then put her finger on the spot underneath my eye and asked, "You look terrible. You have circles and bags under your eyes. You ok?"

"I'm…I'm ok," I assured her. "Just didn't sleep too well."

"Hmm…" Michiko gazed down at her desk for a second and just sat there, lost in her own thoughts, which unnerved me a little. I could almost guess what she was gonna say next.

"Yumeko," she said, drumming her fingers on the desk, "I…I've been thinking about it for a while, but…I didn't know how you'd take it. But, now's as good a time as any to ask."

"W…what do you want to know?"

"I've…just been wondering if—"

"Ok, class!!" Mr. Nami bellowed out as he walked in. "Settle down, time to start!"

"Uh…I'll ask you later," Michiko mumbled.

I managed to get through that class easily enough, mechanically doing whatever the teacher said to do, and trying not to make it too obvious that I could barely move my left arm. It seemed to take an eternity, but when the bell rang to end the period, I eagerly got up and headed to my trigonometry class, albeit occupied with what Michiko was wondering. _She's on to me, I knew it,_ I thought as I walked down the hall. _I just gotta hope that she forgets what she was gonna ask me…_

Even though it was only my second class of the day, I'd already used up a lot of my strength by then, so it was harder to stay focused as Mrs. Sasaki lectured us about sin, cos, and tan. I laid my head on the desk and closed my eyes, intending only to rest them – and my aching head – for just a minute. _I…I forgot how much a beating can take outta me,_ I thought. _Maybe I shoulda listened to Mom and stayed home instead of coming here...this sucks..._

I heard that Boomeroid man's voice in my head play over and over again, saying how he recognized me. _Couldn't have been from the competitions. Maybe it was…_ Because my faceplate was broken? I frowned to myself at the thought. Was I going through all this hell just because my faceplate had been broken?

"Wakie wakie," I vaguely heard the boy behind me say before his fist hit me in the shoulder. I hollered in pain and jumped up in my seat.

"What the hell was that for?!" I snapped at him, holding my shoulder as all the kids in the class snickered.

"Ms. Asagiri!" Mrs. Sasaki chided. I turned around to face her, paling.

"Uh, yes ma'am?"

"Were you sleeping in class?"

"No."

"Then what were you doing with that outburst?"

"Ah, she was just mad 'cuz I did this," the boy that had hit me said, starting to repeat the move. I instantly spun around and punched him across the face.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!" I screamed, standing over him as he laid on the floor, his hand to his cheek. The other kids in the room gasped in surprise.

"Ms. Asagiri, I believe you know what to do," Mrs. Sasaki sighed, pointing to the two buckets of water in the corner. My eyebrow twitched; with my shoulder in this condition, she really expected me to be able to hold those?

"I can't," I said, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"And why not?"

"My shoulder hurts."

"From that punch? I think not. No excuses," she repeated, pointing to the buckets again. "I'll see you after class. But for now, just stand in the hallway with those."

"Damn!" I muttered under my breath, walking towards the buckets while the other kids snickered. _If I had my way, they wouldn't be laughing,_ I swore in my head as I picked up one bucket with my good arm and started carrying it towards the door.

"Both of them," Mrs. Sasaki reminded me.

"I said my shoulder—"

"BOTH of them," she said again. I sighed and bent down to pick up the other one while the other kids looked on in interest. I grabbed hold of it, but the moment I lifted it off the ground, my shoulder flared up in pain. I cried out as the bucket went dropping to the floor, some water splashing out of it. I winced and grabbed my shoulder as the kids laughed.

"It's not funny!!" I yelled, my shoulder throbbing.

"Is it really that bad?" Mrs. Sasaki inquired, starting to look a bit concerned.

"I tried telling you, but…"

"Ok, just stand out there with one."

I sighed in relief. "I think I can manage that." I picked up the other bucket again and limped out to the hallway while Mrs. Sasaki resumed her lecture.

_Mom was right after all,_ I thought grimly as I stood there holding the bucket. _This really was a bad idea. But, well…at least I didn't black out again. Although…that bastard really woulda deserved it if I had…_ I set the bucket down, as my good arm was starting to ache, and took off my brace; as long as I was out here, I might as well have practiced bending my leg. I started slowly, then went a little faster, trying to bend it as much as possible. It started feeling stiff at about forty degrees, so I pushed on it to make it bend farther, wincing when it did. After repeating that a couple times, I stopped and leaned against the wall. _I'm getting better. Little by little, I'm getting better. I won't need the brace for much longer. Just wait, you Boomers, I'll be back at full strength soon enough…_ It suddenly came to me; I hadn't moved with too much problem in the hardsuit, aside from trying to run. If I could walk decently in the suit, then perhaps I could walk just as well out of the suit.

"Ok, let's see if I can do this," I said to myself as I took a step forward with my good leg. No problem there. I then tried taking a step with my bad leg. It wobbled a little bit, and tightened a bit more than I remembered it doing last night, but as long as it didn't buckle, it was fine by me. I grinned as I tried repeating the move, this time a bit faster. It didn't work quite as well; I very nearly slipped as the leg protested the sudden movement and decided it wanted to give on me. I held my arm out to my side to steady myself, then took a step back and put my brace back on, which was a little difficult, considering my left arm didn't want to do much of anything besides hang limp at my side.

"Almost there, almost there," I told myself, when suddenly, the bell that signaled the end of the period rang. As kids spilled into the hallway, I stood there for a second, wondering if I should stay and talk with Mrs. Sasaki.

"Oh well. Who needs to talk with her, anyway?" I wondered aloud, starting to head down the hallway when I felt a hand grab me by the shoulder, the good one, of course.

"Where do you think you're going?" I heard Mrs. Sasaki question.

"Ah, the bathroom?" I answered meekly.

"Get back in here," she ordered, dragging me back into her classroom. After telling me to take a seat, she sat at the desk next to me, and suddenly got a strangely sad look on her face.

"Yumeko," she said. The sound was strange to my ears; she'd never called me by my first name before. "I want to know what's going on. What happened to your shoulder?"

"I…uh…" I stammered, instinctively rubbing my shoulder again. "It's nothing."

"Nothing? You couldn't even hold that bucket."

"I bruised it yesterday. Nothing too major."

"I don't believe you," she said bluntly. "I want you to tell me what really happened. No excuses, ok?"

"I AM telling the truth!! I…me and Ana got into a fight yesterday!!"

Mrs. Sasaki crossed her arms over her chest and heaved a sigh. "Ms. Kuramoto? Is that so?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She kinda caught me off guard and I got pummeled pretty badly."

"I suppose that's why you're wearing a sweatshirt and shorts then? To cover the bruises?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that."

"I thought something was strange when I saw you wearing that when it's the middle of summer," she admitted, snickering. "Well, it was off school grounds, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's not my business then. Now," she said, standing up and slapping me playfully on the back, "go on and get to class."

"Uh, yeah, I think I'll do that," I said, wincing at my now-hurting back; she'd accidentally hit me on the spot where one of the Boomers had kicked me. _Ok, got through that round,_ I thought as I walked out of the classroom. _Oh wait, gym class is next… Hmm, well, I can just ditch. No need to show off my bruises to everybody._

* * *

A few days later, I took the bus to Linna's gym; ever since that fight, even though I'd had the pulp beaten out of me, it made me all the more determined to make my leg get better. As I walked into the gym, I saw her giving a lesson to a group of girls. I decided to jump in, so I walked to the back of the group, took off my brace, and waited for Linna's instructions.

"Cross one leg over the other, then bend down and touch your toes," she instructed as she demonstrated. Everyone else did so, and I followed suit. I felt both my leg and my shoulder twinge a bit, but it didn't bother me. After she instructed us to repeat the move, I did so, then as my leg quickly got tired, I sat down and put the brace back on reluctantly. That move used to be so easy for me, but now my leg could barely do three sets of it before starting to ache.

"Yumeko! What are you doing here?" Linna exclaimed after she dismissed the class.

"For therapy, what else?"

"I thought you were told to take it easy for a few days."

"I can't just sit around and do nothing," I grumbled. "I want my leg to get better."

"I'm aware of that," she said, "but you're not going to be able to do anything therapy-wise with those injuries you got."

"But…but…"

Linna sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Just take it easy. Once you're more recovered, we can resume the therapy sessions."

"I can take it! Honest!" I protested.

She smiled. "I coulda sworn that you loathed these sessions, but I guess I was wrong."

I scowled. "I DO hate them, but sitting around's not gonna make my leg any better. The sooner I get this damned brace off, the better." Linna merely grinned again.

"Look, there's no reason not to take a holiday from this hard work. Go out and have fun with your friends."

"You sure?"

"You only live once. Why not?" She led me to the front door and playfully shoved me out onto the sidewalk. "I'm sure Michiko would love it if you spent a day with her."

I thought for a moment. How much time HAD I spent with her, anyway? Other than going to her apartment to study and do homework with her, we really hadn't spent all that much time together lately. The last time we'd really done anything fun was when we'd gone birthday shopping…

"You're right," I agreed, a grin spreading across my face. "She's been there for me all this time, I should make it up to her."

"I knew you'd agree," Linna said, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "So go on and have fun with her! And if I see you back here trying to get some therapy, I'm gonna make you clean up my apartment, capiche?"

I paled. "Ok, ok, I'm going. Don't need to tell me twice."

I walked down the street towards the nearest crosswalk, my arms folded behind my head. _I want my leg to get better,_ I thought as my shoulder started throbbing. _So what if I'm injured? I can still do the therapy regardless…_ I dropped my arms to my sides and sighed as the other people on the sidewalk shoved their way past me. What had that Boomeroid guy said? Something about how it was unbecoming of such a young girl to be decked out in armor, ready to fight to the death? Maybe he was right… I was seventeen, after all. I wasn't supposed to be doing this…

Sylia's voice rang out in my head again: "_Just remember that you agreed to join the Knight Sabers. No one forced you to do it_."

I closed my eyes and hung my head. "Maybe," I mumbled in a low voice to myself. "I did do it of my own accord. But…what if I want out?"

"Yumeko!!" I heard a girl yell out of nowhere. I yelped loudly in surprise and leaped about a mile.

"Michiko?!" I exclaimed, my heart feeling like it had leaped into my throat. "Don't do that!!"

"Did I scare you?" she asked, noticing my reaction.

"N…no," I said, though all the blood had drained from my face. "Funny, I was just going to go to your place."

"Really? Well, actually, Linna told me to come down here."

"You were in cahoots the whole time?"

"What do you mean?"

"She just told me to take a break from the therapy, and told me to spend more time with you."

"Oh, did she?" Michiko inquired with a mischievous smile creeping across her face. "What a coincidink."

"Yeah," I groaned sarcastically. "So, um, where should we go?"

"I'd like us to go to the spas in Geo City."

"Why?"

"There's plenty of privacy there, and there's something I need to ask you about."

I blinked. "L…like what?" _Don't tell me it's what I think it is,_ I prayed inside.

Michiko looked around at the people surrounding us. "Not here. I can't ask you here." She grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards the stairs that led to the subway station.

"Ow! Hey!" I protested. "Careful!"

"Your shoulder still hurts?" she asked, then paused and thought for a moment. "Well…to be honest," she said as we walked down the stairs towards the ticket booth, "I don't think it was Ana that beat you up, even though you say it was her."

"Why not?" _She's on to me,_ I thought, trying to keep a straight face.

She grinned evilly. "Everybody knows she couldn't fight her way out of a wet paper bag, that's why. So how would she be able to beat you, of all people, up?"

"Luck?" I replied meekly.

She giggled. "I figured you would say that." We reached the ticket booth, and as I started to take out my debit card, Michiko shook her head and motioned for me not to.

"I'll pay for both of us. Don't worry."

"But you don't need—"

"No, I insist," she said forcefully, inserting her card into the machine. After pressing a few buttons on the screen, two tickets popped out of the slot next to it. "Here's yours," she said, handing me one. "And don't try to pay me back, because I won't accept the money."

I smirked. "If you say so."

"I do," she joked as she removed her card from the machine and led me to the waiting platform. As we stood there and waited for the next train to come, Michiko turned to me and asked, "So, when are you going to be getting that brace off?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. Hopefully soon, though."

"Have you tried walking without the brace?"

"A little. But I guess my leg's so used to having the brace on it that it refuses to do anything without it."

"Aw, that sucks." Michiko thought for a moment, then brightened. "Hey, y'know what? The Nationals are next week!! I'm sure the Kihi team would love it if you went to show your support!"

I grinned. "I was already considering that." The words Clara had said to me weeks earlier continued to echo in my mind: "_It's really sad that you got that leg injury, but we vowed at the beginning of this season that we'd reach Nationals, just for you._" Looked like they'd made good on their promise. The least I could do in return is show them my support, just like they'd done for me last year.

"Oh, here it comes!" Michiko interrupted, leaning forward to get a view of the train. After a few seconds, the huge grey tube came into sight, looking like it was packed with people ready to get off and go home. It rumbled forward and screeched to a stop in front of us. My head started to throb at the sound of the screeching noise, pounding to the point where it made me see spots.

I put my hand up to the side of my head and closed my eyes, moaning with the pain.

"Yucchan, you ok?" Michiko asked, putting her hands on my shoulders to keep me from falling forward.

"I…I think I'll be ok," I said softly, opening my eyes slowly. I knew I'd gotten at least a concussion from when the Boomeroid guy had hit me on the back of my head to knock me out, but I hadn't been expecting something this bad. _Well, I guess if it was hard enough to knock me out, then…then I guess I shoulda been expecting this,_ I thought.

"Do you need help onto the train?" she asked as the swarm of people started spilling out of the train. I shook my head, then quickly realized I should've known better, for my head started pounding more.

"Jesus," I groaned, my hand still on the side of my head.

"See why I doubt Ana's the one that beat you up?" Michiko deadpanned as she gently ushered me onto the train and into a seat. "No way could she have given you a concussion."

"Unless she hit me over the head with a wrench," I quipped. I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to will my headache to go away. _It's been five days, I guess I shouldn't have rushed myself,_ I thought. I fidgeted in the seat to find a more comfortable position, and then, it happened again. The familiar feeling of my body going numb and the hair on the back of my neck standing on end again.

I jerked up in my seat and looked around at the other people in the train.

"What's wrong?" Michiko asked, wide-eyed.

"I coulda sworn…" I started to say. Was I really going insane? No…I could have sworn somebody had been watching me, but…there was nobody around that looked out of the ordinary. I sighed and leaned back again, my head pounding anew.

"Don't scare me like that," she said. "Jerking up all of a sudden like that…if I didn't know better, I would've said it looked like you just woke up from a nightmare."

As the train doors automatically shut and the train got moving, I started feeling fine again. Could there have been somebody at the station watching me? I sighed and scratched the side of my head as I thought. No way could I have been going crazy; just the fact that I'd narrowly escaped being shot in the head a month before proved that much. Somebody had been on to me, but I just couldn't figure out who.

"When…do we get to Geo City?" I asked, my voice wavering a little.

"I guess in about ten minutes," Michiko replied, twisting her necklace around her finger. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I assured her, heaving a sigh. "Just tired." _Tired of looking behind my back every five seconds,_ I thought.

"You just seem jumpy, that's all. And you're never jumpy."

"I'm ok, honest." I leaned back and turned my head away from the bright lights that shined overhead. I was about to close my eyes when I spied a girl a few seats away from me, just sitting there and looking at me with huge, wide eyes. _What's she so interested in?,_ I wondered.

"Don't fall asleep, Yumeko," Michiko joked. "Our stop is in a couple minutes." I saw the girl break out into a huge grin at the sound of my name.

"It IS you!!" she exclaimed in English, shoving her way through the crowd and to where I was sitting. She grabbed my hands and jumped up and down. "You're Yumeko!! The gymnast, right?!"

"Ah…well…" I started to mumble in the normal Japanese.

"Um, dear," the girl's mom said, looking terribly embarrassed, "I don't think you should be running up and bugging people."

"But it's her!!" she protested, still clenching my hands. "It must be!!"

"Um…it's all right," I told the girl's mom in English. "It's…it's nice to know I have fans."

Michiko blinked in confusion as the girl grinned. "Hey, you know English!"

"Of course I do," I said, smiling softly. "We learn it in school."

"I watch all your competitions," she continued, "and I think you're the best! Are you going to compete in Nationals next week?"

"Belinda," the girl's mom said, flushing again, "don't be rude."

I shook my head. "I can't compete this year." How was I supposed to explain this to a seven-year-old girl? "Because…I hurt my leg badly. See this thing on my leg?" I pointed at my brace. "I can't walk without it."

"You're hurt that bad?" Belinda asked, her face falling.

"Yeah. But I'm gonna try my best to be in the Olympics next year, so watch for me then," I promised, forcing a smile. What was I doing?! There was no way I could promise I'd be there…

The little girl reached into her backpack and pulled out a sketchbook. After flipping through a few pages, she showed me a doodle she'd done. "Can you sign?"

I couldn't help but smile at the drawing. It was a crude drawing of me standing on a balance beam in my leotard, with my arms outstretched and a very big smile on my face. I laughed and showed it to Michiko.

"Think it'd be worth anything if I signed it?" I joked to her in the normal Japanese.

"Maybe," she replied, giggling and scratching the side of her head.

I turned back to Belinda and said, "Sure, I'll sign it. Where do you want me to sign?"

"Under the picture," she said, pointing to the bottom of the paper.

"Ok," I said. "Do you have a pencil or anything I can write with?"

"Yeah, right here." She took a pencil out of her backpack and handed it to me. I was about to start writing when she said, "Can you write so I can read it? I can't read Japanese."

I chuckled. "Sure." Underneath the drawing, I wrote this:

_To Belinda, one of my biggest fans. Keep your head high, and I wish you the best at whatever you do._

After writing my name in both English and Japanese, I handed the sketchbook back to Belinda. She took one look at what I wrote, and broke out in a fit of giggles. "Thanks so much!!" she said, lunging at me and giving me a huge hug.

"Here's our stop," Michiko said suddenly as the train pulled to a stop, the announcer saying over the intercom, "Geo City."

"Well, time to go," I said, standing up. "Take care, kiddo."

"'K!!" Belinda said, waving as me and Michiko got off.

"You really made her day," Belinda's mom yelled in Japanese over the noise of the crowd. "Thank you for taking the trouble!!"

"No problem!!" I yelled back as the train doors closed and the train pulled away.

"I STILL don't know how you can do that," Michiko said in awe, referring to my speaking English.

"Well, you'll be able to do that someday."

"If I ever get any closer to understanding how the language works," she groaned, then looked at me. "That was cute what you did."

I grinned. "I never knew I had my own fanbase."

"Well, now you know!" she said, laughing, then quickly turned serious. "Yumeko…I still have to ask you…"

"Oh…right," I said softly. "So what did you want to ask?"

"Follow me," she said, striding ahead of me. "I know where we can go without being disturbed."

I sighed and grudgingly followed behind. Time to face the music.

* * *

_A spa?,_ I thought. _She must be joking!!_

"C'mon, Yumeko," Michiko urged as she dragged me to the changing room. "This'll be good for ya." The thought of hot water on my fresh bruises, however, wasn't as soothing as Michiko was making it out to be. My eyebrow twitched at the thought. I couldn't show her the bruises, no way in hell. And with my shoulder still very black and blue, she'd freak out all the more.

"Can't we go somewhere else to chat?" I asked.

She shook her head. "This is the only place I know of that's not very crowded at this time of day. So come on."

As she started taking off her clothes, I tried to come up with a way to get out of this. I could pretend I had a stomachache; I could just turn and run – or at least go as fast as I could without falling on my face; I could…

"Come on!" she repeated again as she wrapped a towel around her body. "Are you gonna join me or not?"

"Well…uh…" I stammered.

Michiko smiled like a Cheshire cat. "You're not very good at excuses, you know. So don't try to just talk your way out of this. How do you know what I'm even going to ask you?"

"Gut feeling," I blurted.

She sighed. "Yumeko, I'm your friend. We should be able to talk about anything. You can trust me."

"I know, but…"

"I'll wait for you in the spa," she interrupted as she headed out the door. "And if you're not out in three minutes, I'm gonna come after ya."

"You do that," I groaned as she left. No way out of this, it seemed like. If it wasn't today, she'd probably come up and ask tomorrow or next week or some other time. Either way, it seemed like I'd hafta face the question eventually. So, I reluctantly took off my brace and set it aside, then took off my shoes, socks, and jeans. When I pulled off my jeans, I saw that scar come into view. The scar that sat above my left knee, letting me know every waking minute that I'd been marked for life, all because of good intentions. All I wanted to do was save Mom and Nene, regardless of whether I got killed or not. But…how was I to know I'd come so damn close?!

"It's that Boomer's fault," I mumbled aloud, clenching my hands into fists. "It's that jerk's fault I'm like this!!" My body started trembling as I got angrier and angrier. "Damn him to hell!!" I turned towards the lockers and kicked them with my left leg, hollering in rage, then in pain as the leg instantly stiffened and throbbed. I fell down on my butt, having lost my balance.

"They're gonna pay," I swore as my eyes watered from the pain. "As soon as I can walk without the brace…"

"Yumeko!!" I heard Michiko call out from the other room. "Hurry up, already!!"

I sighed as I took off my shirt, bra, and panties, then picked up the towel that was on the bench and wrapped it around my body. She already had a feeling it wasn't Ana that beat me up; seeing my bruises would only confirm it. I looked down at my legs and saw they were shaking. But why was I shaking? Maybe she wasn't going to ask what I thought she was going to, after all. But something told me that I had a right to be worried. If too many people found out I was a Knight Saber, then…what would happen? I already had Genom on my tail as it was.

"Uh…coming!" I called to Michiko as I took one small step at a time towards the door. My leg wobbled, but actually held its own. _That's all I've needed to do all along,_ I thought as I reached the door. _Just need to take my time, and it'll get better by itself._

I peeked my head into the room. There were several spas scattered throughout, Michiko having chosen the one farthest back to lay in. "Over here!" she yelled, waving to me. I flushed and waved back, then took a step into the room.

"What the?!" I heard her gasp at the sight of me. She jumped out of the spa, wrapped her towel around herself again, and ran to me. "I didn't…know they were that bad," she sighed, eyeing the bruises on my arms and shoulder. "No wonder you were wearing a long-sleeve shirt in 90-degree weather…" She pointed to my burned arm. "And I seriously doubt that's a sunburn."

"Well…" I started to say.

"C'mon, get in the spa," she ordered as she grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the spa. My leg, being without a brace for once, didn't like this treatment, naturally, and so decided to drag.

"Waitwaitwait!!" I yelled, losing my balance. She let go, and I went falling flat on my face on the ground.

"Oh geez!!" she gasped as she bent down to help me up. "I didn't see you didn't have the brace on."

"I'm still learning," I quipped, my leg now more than a little stiff. After helping me to my feet, Michiko dragged me a little more slowly to the spa, and ushered me to get in. If she thought I looked in bad shape before, wait till I dropped my towel and actually got in.

"My God," I heard her say when I did drop it and slowly climbed into the spa. "How can you even move?"

"Painkillers?"

She shook her head. "Why was I expecting an answer like that?"

"I dunno, why were you?" I mimicked, grimacing at the pain the bubbling water was causing me. Bruises I hadn't even known were there were making their presence known now. "Can you turn off the bubbles? They hurt."

"Oh, sure." She pushed a button on the side wall, and after a few seconds, the water stopped bubbling. "That better?"

"Much, thanks."

She took off her towel and lowered herself into the water on the opposite side of me. After settling in, Michiko looked at me with a face I'd very rarely seen on her. She looked so stern and serious; her face could've been carved out of stone.

"Now I know for a fact it wasn't Ana," she repeated after getting another view of my bruises. "Couldn't have been."

I stayed silent.

"Look," she said, leaning towards me, "we've been best friends since we were seven years old. Ever since we met on that playground underneath the jungle gym, we've always been looking out for one another. You've always made sure the kids don't tease me because I have streaks in my hair, and I've done the same for you when they teased you for not having a dad. And we've always been able to trust each other with our deepest, darkest secrets. Like you with your hydrophobia, and me getting seduced by Masahiro."

I nodded grimly, though the two secrets had no comparison at all.

"I've noticed some things over the last few months," she continued. "I've noticed that…before March anyway, the day after a Boomer went on the loose, you'd be acting strange, y'know. Half-tired, half-excited over something you never mentioned. And of course, sometimes you'd show up with some of those injuries as well."

My head started feeling heavy, whether from the steam of the water or from what Michiko was saying. Either way, I couldn't even think.

"You know I'm not as dumb or ignorant or naïve as I look," she said, her voice choking up, "so why are you trying to hide it from me? I'm not stupid. It's…it's not like I don't notice these things. So…so I want you to come clean with me."

"Come…clean?" I asked.

"Yeah. Come clean about what you've been hiding. I…need to know, Yumeko. I need to know if…you're really one of the vigilantes that help keep the streets clean of rogue Boomers. I need to know if you're a Knight Saber."

Lightning may as well have struck me, because when she said those words, my body instinctively jerked, everything going numb. Just like I had feared she would ask. But…what was I supposed to say? If I said no, she wouldn't believe me, but if I said yes…

I looked down at my reflection in the water, the color draining from my face, keeping totally mum.

"S…say something, already," Michiko said, her voice hoarse.

I couldn't; it was like I'd lost my voice, I was in so much shock. I kept staring into the water, putting my fingers up to the spot where the Boomer at the summit had slapped me, and where I'd had a plate put in.

"Oh God," she whispered when I didn't answer her. "It's…it's true, then…" She put a hand to her chest, like she couldn't breathe. "But…but why…?"

"I don't know," I confessed. "I really don't know."

She made her way to my side, the color totally gone from her face. It was like somebody had sucked the blood right out of her. "W-well…answer me this, then. Why in the world would they recruit a teenager?"

What had Sylia said when she invited me to join? I thought for a moment. Something about the group needing some youthful energy.

"I guess…they needed someone young and spirited to help them out," I mumbled.

"But you?" she asked, her eyes starting to water. "We…we still have a lot of living to do. We're not supposed to throw our lives away before they've even begun! Can't you…can't you quit?"

"No," I said firmly. "I've wondered about it myself, but…I made a commitment to help them, to help the city. I have to see it through. I can't back out." And not to mention it would be breaking Rule 4 of the Knight Sabers Charter.

"I'm…I'm not going to ask how they approached you about joining, or who the others are," she said. "I don't think I could take it."

"You wouldn't be able to," I concurred.

"So…what's it been like, to be part of a group like that?"

"I think we've talked too long here," I blurted. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"Oh, right," she agreed. "But...where do we go?"

"We'll go to my apartment. Mom's at a meeting right now about rescheduling her tour, so she won't be back for a while."

"Ok."

Michiko stayed still for the next minute or so, however; I suppose she was still trying to have all of this sink in. She stared down at the water, thinking it all through. Then, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears from coming, and threw her arms around my neck. I gasped in surprise.

"No matter what you're doing…" she said, her voice choking, "I'm still gonna be here to support you. Vigilante or not, I'm still going to stand by you. It's not my place to say whether…whether you should quit or stay."

As I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, I felt the tears start welling up in my eyes as well. I blinked them away and said, "I…appreciate it. You've always been a good friend, Micchan. I don't…don't know how I could have gotten through a lot of this without you."

She squeezed me tighter, which made my ribs start hurting, but I didn't care. "That's why I'm here, Yucchan. I wouldn't be being a good friend if I didn't stay around when you needed me."

I smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

After climbing up the stairs, Michiko and I walked down the hallway towards my apartment. It just didn't feel natural, talking about being in the Knight Sabers with someone who wasn't even a member. It was supposed to be a top-secret thing, after all.

"Say," Michiko piped up as I started to unlock the door, "why don't we just go up to the roof? Nobody can hear—"

"No!!" I yelled, grabbing her wrist as she turned to leave. She stood there and stared at me.

"W…why?" she asked, alarmed at the force with which I'd grabbed her. I sighed and relaxed my grip; I forgot she didn't know about me nearly getting my head blown off.

"I'd…just rather have us be in the apartment," I said quickly, unlocking the door. Michiko shook her head in disbelief as we both walked inside.

"So…like I was asking earlier," Michiko said, "what's it been like to be in a group like that? Isn't it weird fighting alongside people who have been doing that since the '30's?"

"A little. I guess you could say it's like being in a secret club of sorts. Y'know, normal person by day, vigilante by night, like in those cheesy TV shows."

"Well, too bad this isn't a TV show."

We both walked into my bedroom so nobody out in the hallway could hear us talking. As I sat down on the floor, Michiko started going through my drawers. I asked her what she was looking for.

"A brush," she replied.

"It's in the bottom drawer," I said, pointing. She opened it and took out the brush.

"Turn around," she said. I did so as she started running the brush through my hair. "I guess…I'm still in shock about this whole thing," she admitted. "I mean, you've managed to keep this a secret from everybody for almost the past year. How can you go out and fight Boomers, then come to school the next day and act like nothing happened?"

"Let's just say those acting classes helped," I joked.

She stayed silent for a moment, thinking of what to say next. "Can I ask you something?"

"Like what?"

"Well…about that summit. Genom's been claiming that it was you guys who attacked it and blew it up. I doubt the KS would do something like that. So…what's the truth? Was it really you guys, or was it Boomers?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "It was Boomers."

"I thought so. Can you tell me what happened there?"

_Can I?,_ I thought with dread. _I don't remember everything…_ "I…suppose I could, but I don't remember everything that happened."

"So tell me what you can remember."

I took a breath. "Well, we were hired about two months before the whole thing started. Saber Blue didn't like it, because it was the government that was hiring us, and plus we were offered a lot of money. Saber White said she looked into it, and there were no strings attached, so she'd taken the job offer." I grinned as I remembered my reaction when I heard we were gonna be paid eighty million yen upon completion. I'd fallen off the couch, laughing like an idiot.

"The government, huh? Sounds like there would be strings attached to me."

"That's why Saber Blue didn't like the job. Well anyway, when the summit arrived, apparently the others had decided that if Boomers did attack, then I'd stay out of the fighting unless there was a dire emergency. I didn't like it, but I had to go along with it."

"Maybe they kept you out because you're less experienced than they are."

I nodded. "That's exactly why they did. And when the Boomers attacked, everyone except me went to fight. I was left behind. Saber Red tried to assure me everything would be fine, but…"

"Hey, you ok?" Michiko asked when I started shaking, trying to keep the tears from coming. Mom had come so close to being killed that night…what would have happened if I hadn't been there at that moment to stop the Boomer from finishing her off?

"I'm…I'm ok," I assured her, voice shaking. "They…they really ended up needing my help, though… Saber Blue ended up badly hurt, and I decided to jump in to save her and Saber Red. I got there in time, and me and Blue ended up killing that Boomer."

"Where were the other two Sabers?"

"They were on the other side of the building, fighting another Boomer. After we killed the first one, the one that Saber White and Saber Green were fighting decided to come over and have its fun with us…" My voice cracked, and I had to stop talking. I wrapped my arms around my legs and blinked away the tears. I remembered my shock when I'd realized the Boomer had a lasersword of its own…

"What the bloody hell?!" I'd yelled as I blocked its sword with my own.

"Who's to say you're the only one who can have a fancy toy?" the Boomer had said as I struggled to hold it back. The next thing I remembered was the pain swiping across my stomach, and Mom and Nene screaming my name.

"That…that Boomer…" I moaned, the tears starting to run down my cheeks. "It was the one that cut me across the stomach…"

Michiko gasped. "Oh…oh God…no wonder you blacked out when Eiji pulled out that knife!"

"It wasn't Eiji's fault, really… He'd just happened to make the same move the Boomer did before it cut me…"

"So…so what happened after that?" she hesitantly asked. "You don't have to tell me if it's gonna freak you out."

I shook my head. "It's all right… I don't really remember what happened after that, but the next thing I knew, I was on my back in the next room, trying to get up, but couldn't. The Boomer stomped over…and kicked me in the side to get me on my stomach, then it…it started stomping on me…"

"That's horrible!" she said, her voice cracking as well. "How can…how can anyone take that sort of punishment?"

"I've been wondering that ever since that night," I admitted, wiping my tears away. "Saber Green arrived in time to save me, but…she and Saber White ended up getting pounded too… Saber Blue went to help them, and I wanted to help too, but Saber Red held me back and said not to, that I was practically bleeding to death as it was."

"You could still move after that?!" she asked incredulously.

I smirked. "Not very well, but yeah, sorta. I 'convinced' her that the others needed my help, and we went to help them. Saber White was getting crushed, so I fired at the Boomer to get it to let go. It did, but…but…then it looked at me, and said 'Now it's the exterminator's turn,' then…then it fired at me…and got me in the leg…" I felt the tears start to come again, and I hugged my legs tighter and let them come.

"Yumeko…" Michiko moaned, hugging me and starting to cry too. "I'm so sorry you had to go through any of that…I really am…"

"I…I can't talk anymore…" I said.

"Too painful?"

"Yeah…" I nodded. Not only that, but I could barely remember anything after that moment, other than the Boomer dangling me in the air and choking the life out of me. Then suddenly, I remembered something else. Nene had tried to keep the Boomer from doing anything else!

"This is enough!! Stop it!!" she'd yelled, standing up in front of me and facing the Boomer. If I couldn't believe she'd done it then, I still couldn't believe it now. _She did that for me,_ I thought. _She took a beating for it afterwards, but…but she risked her life to save mine…_

"I've…I've never really talked about it that much," I said as Michiko started to braid my hair with trembling fingers, "mostly because I haven't had to. The only ones who really know what happened are the other Knight Sabers… I'm not supposed to talk about it with anyone else…I haven't been able to, anyway…"

"Well, I'm here," she said firmly. "You can always talk about it with me. I won't tell anybody, I swear."

"I know that," I said, forcing a weak smile. "And…I really appreciate it, Micchan…"

After she was done braiding my hair, I stood up and looked at the shelf that held all of my gymnastics trophies. I sighed as I picked up one of the last ones I'd earned: the National Championship trophy I'd gotten a year ago.

"I'll be able to get these again one day," I promised. "Can't do it now, but someday I'll be earning these again…"

Michiko stood up and walked up behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders and looked over them. "I know you will, Yucchan."

"Nationals are next week," I said tiredly. "I'm still going to be there, even if it's not out there on the uneven bars."

Michiko smiled. "Now there's the Yumeko I know! Don't let it get you down! Nationals are nothing compared to the Olympics, right?"

I grinned evilly. "You're right! I still have time to get my leg ready in time for the trials, so I can't give up now!"

"Yeah!" She suddenly stopped and looked at the clock on my desk. "Oh geez, it's 7 o'clock. I told my parents I'd be home an hour ago. But…to stay here for you, it was worth it."

As I walked her to the door, I had to remind her of one more thing.

"Michiko…" I said.

"Yeah?" she said, her hand on the doorknob.

"Genom might know my identity as a Knight Saber, and I'm sure they've been keeping an eye on me. So…be careful, ok?"

She smiled gently. "I will. Besides, I'd sooner die than let anyone hurt you." As she opened the door to leave, she added, "I'm not going to tell anyone about any of this, you can trust me. You're too much of a friend for me to do that to you."

"I appreciate it."

"Well…I'll see you at school tomorrow!" she said in her usual sunny manner as she left.

I laughed. "Ok!"

* * *

Before I knew it, Nationals arrived. Fifty teams from all over the country, competing for the chance to call themselves the best gymnastics team in all of Japan. A stiff competition taking place over three hellish days; if the people in the stands thought they couldn't take the suspense, then they should've seen the girls who were actually competing! I'd seen a few faint from the pressure – apparently first-timers to the competition. Of course, it was nothing compared to the World Championships; now THAT was a nail-biter. Apparently, before that competition, I'd built a reputation as a fierce gymnast, one who took every little thing seriously and concentrating only on one thing: the championship trophy. Those rumors weren't entirely unfounded; I'd come in third place, after all, but this year, to have to sit on the sidelines and merely be a spectator just depressed the hell out of me. I missed the adrenaline rush, the thrill.

"I could've sworn I saw you fall asleep during the floor exercises yesterday, Yumeko," Linna pointed out as we approached the gym where the Nationals were being held.

"All the teams look the same to me," I admitted nonchalantly. "There's nobody that really stands out. I'm just here to support Kihi, that's all."

"Well, today's the third and last day. Blink, and you might miss something," she joked as she opened the door for me.

"Yeah…I might miss Heiwa Senior High get last place," I deadpanned. Heiwa, a team from Sapporo, had been the laughingstock of the competition from what I'd seen. The girls on that team were so clumsy, it was a wonder they even made it this far. The highest scoring girl on that team had only gotten a 7.2, nowhere near close enough to getting any sort of trophy.

"Well, maybe you could give 'em some pointers after they do lose," Mom added with that mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Me? You act like it'd be sage advice," I said innocently. "I mean, I only WON this thing last year, why would ANYBODY listen to little ol' me?"

"Simple," Linna said. "You're one of the very few girls here that are going to be on Team Japan for the Olympics in Nairobi next year!"

I laughed, though inside, I knew it was a long shot for me to come back from being a cripple to being on the Olympic squad, let alone in one year. It would take a miracle for me to pull something like that off. But…would it really be the end of the world if I didn't get to go to the Olympics, after all? I'm sure it was every gymnast's dream, a dream that only a select few of them would ever get to live. I realized that I hadn't even considered what would happen if I failed at the trials, what I would do if my Olympic dream failed to materialize. Would I just wait till the tryouts for the 2060 Summer Olympics?

What WOULD I do? I didn't know myself. But I did know that I didn't want to end up like so many wanna-be Olympians, forever wondering "What if…?"

As we sat down in the front bleachers, I wondered that aloud.

"Is it really foolish to think I could be on the Olympic team next year?" I asked sadly.

Mom shook her head gently and put her hand on my shoulder. "No way. If you want to do something, then go for it. Lord knows I did, even if I did fall flat on my face more than once."

"Priss's right," Linna agreed, though she got a look in her eyes that said that she'd been there. "Just because you're walking with a brace now doesn't mean you won't be out there on the uneven bars a few months from now. If you want to go to the Olympics, then you're going to do whatever it takes to get you there."

"A lot of people have counted you out because you were shot," Mom said. "But hell, what better time to tell them that a bullet wound's not gonna stop you from doing what you want?"

I sighed and looked out at the uneven bars, where a girl from Sierra Senior High was performing. _Just a bullet wound,_ I repeated in my head. _I wish I could say it was just that…_

A cheerful voice pierced through my dark thoughts. "Yumeko!" I heard a girl call out. I looked down and saw a leotard-clad blond standing there, looking up at me.

"Clara!" I exclaimed.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" she said. "Kihi's gonna be doing the balance beam soon. I'm the fifth one up."

"Good luck."

"Thanks! I'll be needing it!" she said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I know I'm not World Championship material like you are, but I'll give it my all."

"Don't say that," I said sternly. "Don't think about anything, ok? Just do your best and you'll be fine."

She sighed and gave me a tired smile. "I hope so. Well, I gotta go rejoin my team now. Can't miss my turn up." As she turned and ran back to her teammates, Linna took notice of something.

"Your friend was sure shaking a lot," she noted with a grin. "Has she never been this far before?"

"This is her first year on the team, so yeah, she's a rookie when it comes to big events like this," I said, grinning. "I've been here three times. I know what it's like to not know what to expect." That wasn't the only thing I was worried about, though. I remembered how nervous Clara was when she was trying out for the team back in April. There were only a few dozen people watching her at the time, and she was scared shitless. And now, here was Nationals, with probably twenty thousand people watching, not to mention the people watching on TV. I knew she'd be nervous, but I was hoping to God she wouldn't choke out there.

"She'll be fine," Linna assured me, as if she could read my mind. "Didn't you say the balance beam was her strength?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But that'll make it all the worse if she chokes." The last thing I wanted to see was her taking a bad spill. I knew from experience what it was like to take a nasty fall from the balance beam. It had been my weakness, and still was…

It was at the World Championships the year before, in Moscow. I had been second place, behind Sonja Moschovsky. It figured that a girl from the country where the competition was being held was winning, didn't it? To beat her and take home the title of world champion, all I had to do was get a 9.8. A measly 9.8. I had been the favorite to win, and people figured if anybody could beat me, it would have to be Sonja. The fact that I had to get a 9.8 on the balance beam, not to mention the pressure from her home crowd, was not comforting.

It had been my first, and only, trip to the World Championships, so needless to say, I was nervous when they called my name and I walked up to the beam, ready to do my thing. I remember little of what the exact moves I did were prior to the accident, but I do remember doing some back-handsprings on the beam, and then, when I was doing the last one, I had tried to land, but apparently my left foot missed the beam. I didn't notice I missed until I let go of the beam; then, when I realized I was falling off the beam, I'd brought up that foot, and my ankle smacked into the beam hard. From what people had told me afterwards, I guess I landed weird after that, and when I tried to get up, my ankle didn't want to do much of anything, let alone support my weight. I remember how the roars of the Russian crowd thundered in my ears, practically daring me to try again. I'd stood up under my own weight, my ankle throbbing, the coach yelling questions at me, like was I ok? Could I go on?

"I can do it," I told myself, my eyes watering from the pain. I'd stood up straight, cracked my knuckles, and bravely limped to the end of the balance beam, ready to try again. I stood up there again, trying to ignore the taunts of the crowd – it wasn't like I could understand what they were saying, anyway – and tried doing a front-handspring. I landed ok, but my ankle gave out under me, and I screamed as I slipped and fell off the beam again. I remember sitting there on the mat, whimpering and grabbing my ankle, trying to make the pain go away. The coach had ran to me to help me up, but I shoved him away and tried to get up myself, only to fall down to the mat again. In the end, I needed help to get to the bench, and instead of coming out on top, like many had expected, my terrible performance on the beam dropped me to third place. I'd expected to be tenth or something, but I guess some of the judges took sympathy for me and gave me a higher score than I deserved, or at least gave me extra points for trying.

At the end of the competition, I stood there on the third place podium, and had the bronze medal around my neck. How ugly it seemed compared to the shiny gleam of the gold medal. I wanted to yank it off and throw it away, but before I could, Sonja herself walked up to me. She put her hand on my shoulder and looked at me with those pretty emerald eyes, and said in broken English, "We fight another day."

I'd been awestruck, to say the least; this was coming from a girl that people had said showed no mercy when it came to beating her opponents, and had said nothing to them when she did beat them. To hear those words of encouragement from her, of all people…it was a strange feeling. Perhaps it meant she respected me as a rival? Or maybe it meant she felt I deserved to win? Or…did it mean she felt sorry for me because of that fluke? Whatever it was, it actually made me proud to have that bronze medal around my neck; it was better than not getting anything at all.

What a coincidence: Linna, having failed her audition to become a world-class dancer, was approached by Sylia afterwards and asked to lend her skills to the Knight Sabers. And it was almost the same for me; just three weeks after that competition, she'd invited me to join as well.

"Clara won't choke," I said with determination as the announcer called out her name. "I'll make sure she doesn't. She's not going to suffer the same way I did at Worlds."

"Just give her your support, and she'll be fine," Linna assured me. "Besides, that was a freak accident that you had, and it was foreign territory. This is home turf, so it doesn't matter who wins. Everyone's basically playing for the same team here. Everybody's rooting for everybody. Isn't it basically a 'let the best man win' game anyway?"

"Call it that if you want, but I'm rooting for Kihi all the way," I said as I watched Clara walk up to the balance beam. She really reminded me of myself the first time I was here; she was shaking all over, trying not to let the crowd overwhelm her. _Remember, just block it out,_ I thought. _Pretend they're not there. Pretend it's just one of the practices after school. Just pretend you're in the gym by yourself. Nobody's around, nobody's judging your every move. Just act natural, and you'll do just fine._

"There she goes!" Mom said as Clara jumped onto the beam.

"Go Clara!!" I cheered as she put her arms up in the air, then threw them forward and did a few front-handsprings.

"That a friend of yours?" I heard someone ask from the seat behind me. I looked behind me and saw a man in a suit sitting there, holding a digital camera in his hand and a writing pad in his lap.

"Um, sorta," I replied.

The man looked from Mom to me, then brightened. "Say, you're the Asagiri duo!"

"Wow, he noticed," Mom mumbled dryly to herself.

"I'm John Colombo, of the Associated Pr—"

"I know you're a reporter," I said flatly. "That was obvious enough. What, are you gonna look for an interview from us now that you know who we are?"

"This doesn't concern Miss Priss here," he said, nodding towards her. "However, now that I see you're here, I was wondering if you had any comments about the competition here."

"Comments? What's there to say? The teams suck this year." I looked down to the balance beam, where Clara was balancing upside-down while doing the splits, and added, "'Cept for Kihi, of course."

"How does it feel to not be able to—"

"To not be out there helping my team win?" I finished, annoyed. "It's damn depressing, that's what it is. And besides, aren't you here to report on the competition and not on my commentary? So just sit there and take pictures of the gymnasts." I turned away from him and crossed my arms, watching Clara finish up while John fumbled for something to say. Linna and Mom merely smiled smugly in response.

"Did you see? Did you see?!" Clara exclaimed after she was done.

"Sorta," I grudgingly had to admit. "Some reporter was bugging me while you were on the beam. Sorry."

Clara scratched the side of her head. "Aw, well, that's alright. I think I did ok."

"At least you didn't choke," I half-joked. She shyly grinned.

"Yeah, I guess so. A few more Kihi girls are up, and then the judges'll announce who wins." She fidgeted. "I don't know about you, but I'm nervous."

"It'll be ok," Linna assured her. "You did great out there."

"Y'think so?"

"The worst part is over," I added, smirking. "Now we just have to wait for your results and see if it helped the team any."

Almost right on cue, Clara's results appeared on the scoreboard. 9.3, 9.1, 9.2, 9.4, 8.9, and 9.3… it all averaged out to 9.2. "Wow, a 9.2!!" she exclaimed, her eyes brightening. "That should help us out, eh?"

"You bet," Mom said. I laughed at the look on her face; although she looked like she was impressed by Clara's marks, I could tell she was secretly thinking,_ A 9.2 is good, but nothing compared to what my Yume can do._

"I reeeeeally hope we win," Clara said, practically looking like she was running in place, she was so nervous.

"Well, standing there and doing the Potty Dance isn't gonna help," I joked.

"What?!" She immediately stopped. "Is that what it looked like?!" I nodded, an impish grin on my face.

"Hold that thought," Linna said, standing up. "I'm gonna end up doing that myself if I don't leave now," she added with a laugh.

A few minutes after Linna made a beeline for the bathroom, the last team finished up their performance, and we were all left sitting there in our seats, wondering which team would come out on top. I fidgeted in my seat while Mom sat there with her chin cupped in her hand, almost looking bored.

"Hey, aren't you the one who encouraged me to take up gymnastics to begin with?" I teased. "I know it's not as exciting as giving concerts, but hey, whatever gets the adrenaline flowing, right?"

"It keeps ya in shape," she joked. "And besides, I wasn't expecting you to become a singer like me anyway…" She paused, then added with a grin, "Though your singing voice isn't too bad."

I blushed. "Surely you jest. Nene said much the same thing at the summit."

She shook her head, that sly grin still pasted on her face. "Sing a line from _Remember_."

"Right now?!" I exclaimed.

"Where else?" she deadpanned.

"But…there's people around!!"

"I have to sing in front of 100,000 people during an average concert. This is nothing compared to that."

"Ok, ok…" I cleared my throat, then ran through the lyrics in my head.

"And don't mumble them either," she added, obviously enjoying this. "Sing it so people can hear."

"You're joking!"

"Nope."

"God damn," I mumbled. Why was she making me do this?! If I wasn't planning on being a singer, then why in the world…

"And besides, in order to be in the Olympics, you can't be doing gymnastics as your main job, am I right? So, you gotta do something else," she said, winking.

"Ok, don't need to rub it in," I groaned. "Ok, I think I got it."

"So sing."

I cleared my throat and started in the middle of the song. "_Aenai jikan ga kono mune ni…ai no omosa kuzamikomuuuu…_"

Mom grinned.

"_Shinjiteitai…ano hi no hohoemi o…_"

"I should drag you along as my backup singer," she joked before I could start with the second chorus.

"Me?! I don't wanna be no singer!!"

"Your voice isn't much higher than mine is. And since we sound really similar…"

"No no no no," I repeated, my face now at least three shades of red.

"What's going on?" Linna asked when she returned. "Why's Yumeko so red?"

"I wanted to hear her vocals," Mom said, looking very proud of herself.

"And how did Little Asagiri do?" she asked, winking.

"I'm thinking once I go on my tour, I can drag her along as backup. Maybe we could do some duets or—"

"I'm not gonna be a singer, damn it!!" I protested, though I was starting to laugh. "It's too much pressure!! And the media attention, ick!"

"What do you think being in these competitions is?" Linna joked. "You perform on the bars in front of thousands of people, so why is singing in front of them any different?"

"I…oh, never mind," I grumbled.

"She just doesn't want to admit how much she takes after her mom," Mom teased with that glint in her eye again.

"Right, right…"

"Here come the results!" I heard Clara squeal suddenly. I jerked my head towards the announcer, who had made his way to the middle of the gym floor, where the podiums were already set up. My mouth went dry as I tried to think about which teams would be the possible winners. Damn, this really made me wish I'd stayed awake the past two days…

"And now, the moment you have all waited for!" the announcer bellowed into his microphone. "The results of the 2055 Japan Gymnastic National Championship!! Every team here has performed extremely well, but only one can go home on top!"

_God, I HATE this part!,_ I thought.

"Going home with the bronze medal…from right here in MegaTokyo, Sierra Senior High!!" I heard a cheer echo from the Sierra benches, and when I leaned over the guardrail towards them, I saw them jump and hug each other. I could tell they really wanted the gold, but I guess the bronze was better than nothing at all.

"And heading home with the silver…from Kyushu, Fukuoka Senior High!!"

_Kihi must be first,_ I prayed. _From what I saw, they did so well. There's no way they could have lost._ At the same time, I also prayed that I wasn't jinxing them right this moment. Would it be too good to be true for one school to win Nationals two years in a row?

"And going home with the gold…"

"Don't hold your breath, Yumeko," Linna reminded me.

"I know, I know," I said, my chest feeling tight.

"No, I mean literally," she joked. "You're gonna faint from lack of oxygen."

"Your face is blue," Mom threw in.

I let out my breath. "Whoops. Heh."

"…Kiiroi Hi Senior High!!" the announcer yelled.

"Huh?!" Linna and I both exclaimed.

"Oh my GOD!!" Clara shrieked, jumping up and down like mad. "We did it, we did it, we DID it!!"

"All RIGHT!!" I yelled, jumping up and waving my arms like crazy. "See?! You guys didn't need me after all!!"

"All the winning teams, come up here so we can award you your medals," the announcer said, beaming.

As the Sierra, Fukuoka, and Kihi teams all ran up to the announcer, I sat back down, my chest feeling strangely empty. They DIDN'T need me…and that upset me a bit. I hadn't helped them win the championship in any way. All I'd done was sit on the sidelines and show my support. I wasn't able to be out there with them…

_What's stopping you?, _a voice in my head asked. _Get out there with your team. You gave them your support. You DID help them win._

I looked down at my leg brace, which had recently become a part of my leg like an ornament decorating a Christmas tree. If it weren't for that, I would've gladly gone out there to join my team. I probably could've gotten a 9.9 on the uneven bars if I put my mind to it.

_So WHAT about the brace?,_ the voice asked again. _What's stopping you, bitch? Get out there with the team!_

I gazed down at the brace again, then as if I was possessed, I reached down and unstrapped it from my leg.

Braces be damned.

I stood up under my own power, then held the brace above my head and let out a loud hoot. "SEE THIS?!" I yelled to anyone and everyone that could hear me. Mom and Linna both looked at me in shock, only to have their jaws practically hit the floor as I threw the brace over the rail onto the floor of the gym. I grinned like a maniac as I saw it break in half when it hit the floor. That thing wouldn't be holding me captive anymore.

"Yumeko?!" Linna exclaimed.

"She got sick of it!" Mom half-joked, starting to crack up.

That wasn't the last of it. I had to be out there with my team to celebrate. And to get out there, I decided on the one option available to me: I'd just climb over the guardrail, jump down to the floor, and race out to them.

Once Mom saw what I was going to do, she eagerly stood up to help me over the rail. As Linna just sat there in shock, I swung one leg over the rail, then the other, and after clinging to the rail for a few seconds, just dangling there, I let go and dropped to the floor. My leg twinged when I landed, and I very nearly lost my balance and fell, but at this point, nothing mattered.

Just my team.

I stood up straight and took one step at a time towards the mass of leotard-clad girls in the middle of the gym, limping badly the whole way, but who cared? This was the first time in four months that I had walked on my own. On my own, without the brace or leaning on anybody or clinging to anything. On my own, using just my own two feet.

All around me, I could hear people start yelling my name from the crowds, from the sidelines, from everywhere, it seemed like. And when a certain blond gymnast heard my name being called, she turned around, and instantly broke out into a run towards me, yelling my name along with everyone else.

"Yumeko!!" Clara yelled as she leaped into my arms. I yelped as I lost my balance and we both went tumbling to the ground, but at the same time, we both started giggling like the schoolgirls that we were.

A loud cheer went up from the crowd as the rest of the Kihi team ran over to us and we all took turns hugging each other. This was the feeling I was looking for; the emptiness in my chest was replaced with a feeling of great pride and joy. It felt wonderful to be able to celebrate this victory with the team. Words just cannot adequately describe all the emotions I felt out there.

"Miss Yumeko," the announcer said, pushing through the crowd of gymnasts towards me.

"No 'miss', please," I said, grinning ear to ear.

"Ok, then, Yumeko," he corrected. "Would you like the honor of accepting the championship trophy for your team?"

"Me?" I hadn't even done anything to help the team win, really, but after the girls around me kept saying, "Go for it!" and slapping me on the back about twenty times, I said, "Certainly."

He turned around and took the trophy from the award-presenting guy – I forgot what the job title was, specifically – then placed it in my arms. After standing there gaping at it for a few seconds, I lifted it above my head and let out a hoot. The crowd let out a roar as my team started chanting, "Ki-hi, Ki-hi, Ki-hi!!", then broke out into the school Fight Song.

Needless to say, today was the happiest day I'd had in a very long time. It was a day I wouldn't soon forget, and neither would anybody else. In fact, the next day, I read the sports section of the paper, and on one page was a sequence of pictures from Nationals. The first picture showed me throwing the brace to the floor; the second one showed me climbing over the railing; the third showed me running – or should I say limping? – towards my team while Clara was running towards me; the fourth pic showed the Kihi team surrounding me; and the fifth and last picture showed me hoisting the championship trophy.

Some would call it the sports event of the year, but I beg to differ; I just wanted to be out there with my team, and I wasn't about to let some petty brace stop me from doing that.

* * *

"This is so great, so great!!" I sang out as I approached my school the following Monday. I was limping almost as badly as I was the first time I'd tried walking with just my brace, but who the hell cared?! Not me. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I was walking on my own, without the assistance of anything; no crutches, no braces, no nothing! Ok, ok…I had a leg sleeve on, but I was much more willing to put up with wearing that thing than wearing that metal-and-plastic contraption.

"I'm happy for you, Yume," Mom said, a gentle smile forming on her lips.

"Y'know, it's kinda strange, not having the brace anymore," I admitted, bending my leg. "I mean, it was so heavy, and now, suddenly that weight isn't there anymore. It feels weird, but it's great at the same time."

"I think I know how you feel," she said.

"Yeah?"

She nodded. When I asked her to elaborate, she just smiled wistfully to herself and shook her head, which left me wondering about what exactly she was referring to.

"I don't have to tell you," she said when I asked again. "You already know."

"I do…?" Now I was really confused…

"Well," she said when we reached the front doors, "better get to class now. Oh, and don't forget to tell me how the other kids react when they see ya without a brace," she added, smirking.

"I think I already have an idea as to how they'll react," I replied, returning the smirk. Of course, this was assuming that none of them had seen me break my brace and climb over the railing to be with my team on national TV, and well, that certainly wouldn't be the case.

"See ya after school, ok?"

"Ok."

After Mom sped away on her motorcycle, I went through the front doors of the school – of course setting the metal detector off again – then limped towards my locker. Sometimes, my leg would bend a little bit more than it was able to handle, and I'd almost go crashing to the floor, but I managed to keep myself on both feet until I was able to get to my locker and grab the appropriate books that I needed.

"I can't believe you did that!" Linna had said once the media circus finally left the team and me alone. "That was insane!"

"I wanted to be with my team," I repeated nonchalantly. "What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong? I don't know if we'll be able to fix the brace."

"I think that's why she threw it to begin with," Mom teased.

Linna sighed. "Well, I guess we'll see if you can handle getting around without the brace."

_Well, I think this proves it,_ I thought gleefully to myself as I walked down the hallway towards my literature class. My leg was throbbing like hell, almost begging to be given a rest, but I kept going, which may not have been the best option, but just being able to move around without the brace thrilled me to no end.

By the time I finally reached the door to my class, I was practically dragging my leg along the ground, and I was panting with the effort, but oh, once I got to see the look on Michiko's face, it would all be worth it.

I peeked my head into the room. Only a handful of kids had arrived, Michiko and Boh being among them. The moment I saw those blond streaks in her hair, I grinned.

"Hey!" I half-whispered, half-yelled to her.

Michiko raised her head from her paper and looked at me. "Oh, Yumeko!" she said in her singsong voice, her face immediately brightening. "How was your weekend?"

"How was it?" I rolled my eyes in sarcasm. "Oh…it was ok, I guess…" I stepped into the room and just stood there with my hands on my hips, a huge smile on my face. Michiko's jaw dropped.

"You…you…you're walking!!" she stuttered, her eyes like saucers. "Where'd your brace go?!"

"Over the railing," I quipped.

"Oh WOW!!" She jumped up and ran over to me, throwing her arms around me. "I can't believe it!! You're walking on your own!!"

"I have a leg sleeve on," I admitted, pointing to my leg. "It's under my jeans, so you can't see it now. But still, I gotta admit it'll be easier dealing with this thing than with the brace!"

She nodded vigorously in agreement. "No kidding!"

"At least they allow leg sleeves in the Olympics as opposed to braces," I added dryly. She laughed.

"Yeah, that's true!"

"You're being ridiculous," I heard Boh say. Michiko and I both looked over at him, where he was watching the scene from his desk.

"What's so ridiculous about Yucchan walking again?" Michiko inquired.

"She's not walking on her own," he said flatly, folding his hands together. "She's dependent on that sleeve. True, she's not walking with the assistance of the brace, but she's still not walking completely on her own."

"What, are you trying to be a party pooper, Boh?" I teased. He could never understand how great this really was.

"Call me what you will," he said, "but I'm simply stating the truth. You'll really have to be careful with that leg now. It's not as stable as it was with the brace, so any sort of injury could set you back big-time. If you slip on wet grass, or try running when you're not ready…any of those things could do it. And you could pretty much kiss your chances of making the '56 Olympics goodbye."

"You can be so depressing sometimes," Michiko groaned.

Boh glared at me, and said, "Your Olympic dream is iffy as it is. I'm simply saying that just because you're walking with a sleeve instead of a brace doesn't mean you should be any less careful. The last thing you want is to redo all of that therapy, right?" I saw a small smirk form on his lips. I frowned in response.

"I'm well aware of that, thank you. I haven't come this far for nothing," I spat, snorting as I defiantly marched to my seat and sat down.

"Let's hope not," he deadpanned as more kids started pouring into the room. When the kids, mostly the girls, caught sight of me, they ran over to me and squealed about how they saw me on TV.

"I can't believe you did that!!"

"That was soooo cool!!"

"Breaking your brace, wow!"

"It was nothing, really," I said, playing the event down. "I just got sick of the thing, that's all."

Boh merely grimaced in disgust and went back to the book he was reading.


	6. Boh's Deception

As the days went by, and turned into weeks, I suddenly just had a surge of energy. I felt like I could just run around all day and not have to stop and rest or anything. It was hard to explain; maybe it had something to do with the fact that I didn't have the brace anymore. Even the teachers stopped in the middle of their lectures and would ask why I was smiling like a moron. Well, I guess THAT could be explained – this was the most normal I'd felt in a long time.

I attacked my therapy sessions with a passion; now that I was only dependent on a leg sleeve, it made me that much more determined to get my leg to full strength as humanly possible. In fact, the sessions were going along so well that I was finally able to go to school full-time instead of just in the mornings, which especially thrilled Michiko to no end. It meant that we could spend more time together, after all. Plus, she was actually able to accompany me to my therapy sessions to help me out.

"I've gotten so used to seeing you with the brace," Nene admitted when I stopped by to visit her one day, "and now suddenly you're walking under your own power. It's so wonderful to see that you're doing so much better."

"Tell me about it," I agreed, grinning. "Do you think I'll be able to go back into battle soon?"

As she hung up some bras on the sales rack, she cast her eyes to the floor and sighed. "I'm not the one to decide that. Sylia is. But yeah, I think soon."

"How soon?"

"I…I don't know."

"What's wrong?" I asked. Nene was suddenly so distant, not like her at all. Did she know something that I didn't?

"That time when…when you went out in your suit and followed us and got captured by that group of Boomers…"

"What of it?"

"Sylia's been trying to figure out why they were so interested in you, and she thinks she's figured it out."

I frowned. "Was it Quincy that sent them out?"

She shook her head. "No."

"N…no? Who else could it be then?"

"It's somebody else inside Genom, but she and I just can't figure out who."

"But who else would be interested in me besides that old bastard?"

Nene shrugged. "Like I said, we don't know who it was, exactly. Anyway, Sylia would probably know more than I do. She'd be the one to talk to about your concerns."

"Miss Romanova, I'm here!" I heard a young woman call out. Nene and I turned around, only to come face to face with Heather.

_Great, it's Heather the Heathen,_ I thought grimly.

"Oh, right on time!" Nene exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Well, Yumeko, you should probably be going now." She turned to Heather and said, "Let's go get your cash drawer, ok?"

Nene started walking towards a back room, with Heather following behind. When she passed by me, she turned and whispered, "I didn't think you'd be shopping in a place like this. Got a hot date tonight?"

"Like hell," I grumbled. "I was here to talk to Nene. And besides, men are pigs."

"You sure? You'd probably look cute in lingerie," she said, that annoying glint in her eye.

"No thanks. Bye Nene!" I yelled over Heather's shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok!" she yelled from the other room.

"Where are YOU going?" Heather inquired when I turned to leave.

"Got therapy," I answered nonchalantly as I walked out the door. Without looking at her, I added, "Why would it matter to you anyway? You're not the one that got your leg shot through. I am."

I walked out of the Silky Doll store and to my waiting motorcycle, which I was finally able to ride again – without much trouble. I wasn't dependent on Mom or the subway to cart me around anymore. For the first time since that hellish March day, I was able to ride it without having to cling to Mom for dear life. And needless to say, that felt pretty damn good.

* * *

"Try doing a cartwheel for me," Linna said.

"A cartwheel?" I repeated.

"Yeah. I think your leg might be able to handle it. So try one."

"Do it, Yumeko!" Michiko cheered.

I cracked my knuckles and got ready to try one. _C'mon, this should be easy enough,_ I thought. _If I was able to do a back-handspring in my hardsuit last month, then I should be able to do this._ But then again, I didn't exactly have the perfect landing when I tried that back-handspring, either…

"What are you waiting for?" Linna inquired. "You've been bugging me since day one about when you'd be able to do something besides running or riding a stationary bike."

"I know, I know." Damn, why was I so nervous?! It wasn't like this was the World Championships or anything! It was just a stupid cartwheel, the most basic of all moves!!

"Yucchan, I'll help you if you need help doing it," Michiko offered.

"No, that's alright," I said, shaking my head. "I can do this on my own." It had taken me four months to shed that God-forsaken brace, plus there was the extra month I had spent doing these therapy sessions after that; I was gonna make it worth it if it killed me. _This is what you've waited to do for the past five months, Yumeko, _I thought. _Just get it over with!!_

"You'd make a good statue, Yumeko," Michiko quipped.

"Say what?!"

She grinned, then practically threw me for a loop when she said in heavily accented English, "Jus' dooo it. Won't kill ya."

All my nervousness and tense nerves went out the window when she said that. I started laughing like crazy; Michiko was the last person on Earth to try to speak English, and to hear her say those few words almost perfectly was almost like eating an ice cream cone in hell.

"You taught me well," she joked in the usual Japanese. "C'mon, it's just one cartwheel."

Once my laughing subsided enough so that my sides stopped hurting, I nodded. "Ok, I think I can do it now," I said, still chuckling. I took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. _It's just one,_ I kept reminding myself. _One cartwheel. It's not like they're asking ya to do a freakin' aerial flip or something._

I raised my hands in the air, then after sucking in a deep breath, I threw them forward and lifted my body up in the air. And before I knew it, I was already landing, my right foot touching down, then my left. I just stood there staring at the mat for a moment afterwards; had I really pulled off a flawless cartwheel? As far as I knew, my bad leg didn't even twinge.

"Yahoo!!" Michiko yelled, jumping up and down. "You did it!!"

"I did," I said out loud, as if I didn't believe it myself.

Linna smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Now it's only a matter of time before we get you back on the uneven bars, I think. We just have to strengthen up your leg, and your other muscles, since you haven't been working them out for a while."

"I can do it!" I concurred, slamming my fist into the open palm of my hand.

Looking at the clock, Linna said, "Ok. We've been here a good four hours now. I think we can call it a day." She wiped the sweat from her brow and added, "Let's go hit the showers."

After we all took some nice, hot showers and changed into some fresh clothes, Linna went into the main gym to clear everybody out while Michiko and I waited at the front doors for her.

"It's so wonderful to see how far you've come," Michiko said wistfully, almost getting tears in her eyes. "I remember when you couldn't even walk without your crutches, and here you are, having literally thrown your brace to the side to replace it with that leg sleeve."

"I can finally ride my motorcycle too," I added with a grin.

She smiled softly. "Yeah, there's that too. Oh, by the way, when do you think you'll get that sleeve off?"

I shrugged. "Personally, I don't care if I never get it off."

Michiko's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"Sleeves are allowed in the Olympics, and besides, it helps keep my leg steady, and it also hides that huge scar. What does it matter now? I was only concentrating on getting the brace off anyway. I don't care about no sleeves."

"I guess that's true," she sighed, twisting her necklace around her finger. "At least it's not an eyesore like that brace was."

I laughed. "Yeah, no kidding!"

"So…" she muttered, "does this mean that you're going to be going back into battle?"

"Probably," I sighed. "The others are really needing my help now…"

"I…I don't want you to go," she said, her eyes getting watery. "It's dangerous."

"It's always going to be dangerous. There's never a time when it's 'safe' to go out and fight Boomers. The job comes with its risks, and when I joined, I accepted those risks." I put my hand on Michiko's shoulder. "It's not the most glamorous job in the world, needless to say, but I chose to accept it, and…and I can't turn my back on the people that need me."

"There was a time that I thought the Knight Sabers were the most awesome people in the world," she admitted. "They go out and risk their lives to keep the rest of us safe. But I guess…I never realized that they were real people that might never go home to their families when they go out to put down Boomers…"

"Not until you found out I was one of them," I finished for her. She nodded.

"Yeah. Hearing about them was more like reading a fantasy novel. It didn't seem like they were real, though I knew they were. And now that I know you're a member of that vigilante group…it scares me, frankly. It scares me to death, knowing that for the past year, you've been going out with them and putting your life on the line. I used to think that…that only suicidal people would willingly go out and do things like that, but…"

"Maybe I'm suicidal," I said nonchalantly, shrugging. "But…at least I don't get to just kick back and watch Genom rain death on the people around here. I can DO something about it."

"It's one little group against a huge corporation… How can one group do anything to stop them?"

I nodded slowly in agreement; I hadn't really thought about that. "You're right. It probably IS bullheaded to think we can beat them, but…at least we're doing more to protect the people of Tokyo than the police are. At least they can have somebody to count on."

"But what about all the bad press you've been getting about the whole summit thing?"

"It's all lies, and people know it. I heard something about the Knight Sabers getting set up for breaking into warehouses back in '33, but look at what happened. The real ones showed up and proved to everyone they're still on the side of good. It's happening again right now, and after having being framed twice, I don't think people are buying what Genom's saying about us."

Michiko smiled weakly. "You're right about that."

"It'll blow over," I said, then thinking, _At least…I HOPE it does…_

I turned and looked down the street at the setting sun. Seeing that yellow orb color the sky orange was truly a sight to behold, especially since the pollution didn't block it out for once.

"Pretty," Michiko breathed when she turned to look too.

"You don't get to see many sunsets like that one," I said, in awe. "I guess that comes along with living in MegaTokyo." Michiko nodded in agreement, then looked up at the sky when out of nowhere, the sound of thunder filled our ears.

"It's gonna rain," she said.

"I knew that ten minutes ago," I said.

"How so?"

I pointed to my leg, which now had a dull ache in it. It had lately started to do that whenever bad weather was coming, kinda like how old people can tell bad weather's on the way when their joints start aching.

She blinked. "Oh." She peered down the street again, holding up her hand to block the sunlight, and said, "I probably should be getting home now."

"I can give you a ride," I offered.

"No, that's ok. My apartment's only a few blocks away."

"You might get soaked." I winked mischievously.

"Maybe," she said, shrugging, "but I like the rain. It smells nice." After giving me a hug, she started heading down the street. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" she called to me.

"Don't forget your English homework, Micchan!!" I yelled back, an impish grin on my face. She laughed.

"I won't, I won't! Bye, Yumeko!!"

"Bye!"

I stood around for a few minutes afterwards, waiting for Linna to close up her gym. The dull ache in my leg grew, and as I bent down to rub it, another clap of thunder roared through the air. I jumped in surprise, and right into another flashback: the moment of horror when the Boomer aimed the palm of its hand at me and fired, sending the bullet speeding towards me, and tearing through my leg. I remember just standing there for a moment, my body swaying ever so slightly, like I couldn't believe what had just happened. And then, crumpling to the floor, everyone around me too frozen in shock to do anything…

"Ok, let's go home!" I vaguely heard Linna call out cheerfully. She stood there looking at me for a second, then immediately ran to me and grabbed my shoulders. "Yumeko! Are you ok?!"

"I…" After just standing there trembling for a moment, I fell to my knees, my leg seemingly aching just from the mere memory.

"You're not there anymore," she said sternly, kneeling down. "Remember that. Those Boomers can't do anything now. You've shown them that you can beat them. Just you learning to walk again is testament to that."

I gazed down at my leg, still trembling all over like a leaf. "I wish I could forget…I really wish I could…"

Linna sighed. "I wish that wasn't one of the things you remember either. But what's been done cannot be undone. I suppose the memory will only go away with time."

I looked up at her, a weak smile on my face. "Oh…Linna?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering something…"

"About what?"

"Well…you know how when I was little, I'd spend the night over at your apartment, and we'd just fool around and stuff?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, of course I remember."

"Do you think we could do that again? Like, tonight or something?" I heaved a sigh. "Just for one night, I just…just want to forget about all of this Knight Saber crap. I want it to be like how it was before I found out about all this."

"I don't think it'd be possible to just forget about it," she sighed, "but I think we can spend an evening just fooling around, sure! I need to unwind, myself," she admitted, laughing. "So, you wanna do it tonight, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, then added mockingly, "unless you have a date tonight or some other plans already."

"Heck no," she laughed. "Well, just call Priss and let her know what you're going to do, and we'll get going!"

I stood up. "Ok! I don't think she'd mind!"

* * *

"Damn, we were supposed to be on tour right now," the drummer of my band, Max, grumbled as he took a long, hard gulp from his bottle of Jack Daniels. "But no, because of that Boomer attack, we're all sitting around on our asses and—"

"Oh, would you shut the hell up?" Hiroshi – the bass guitarist – snapped. "Priss and her kid came THIS CLOSE to knocking on death's door, and you're complaining about the tour?!"

"We can always go touring," I grumbled, pouring myself a shot of tequila. "Just not now."

"Why not?!" Max yelled; I didn't flinch at the stench of alcohol on his breath. "The kid's doin' fine, right?"

"She has a name, Max. Call her by her name." After I downed the shot, I added, "And no, Yume's not completely fine. Unless you consider waking up in a cold sweat practically every other night fine."

"How've YOU been, Priss?" Hiroshi asked. "Yeah, we're glad your daughter's ok, but how have YOU been holding up?"

I shrugged. "Been better. Just trying to make sure Yume doesn't skip her therapy or anything."

"So what's this new song you said you wrote?" Max asked.

"Here." I handed them both copies of the song. I'd been staying up the past few nights writing the lyrics, and yes, even sneaking a few peeks at Yume's English textbook to make sure I had my English right. I could probably mangle that language better than anybody.

Hiroshi read over the lyrics, and after mumbling a few of them to himself, he quoted one of the English lines aloud. "_I be on the move everyday. We movin' once again._ God, your English sucks, Priss." He laughed.

I smirked. "Well, it's not like yours is any better."

He nodded as he took a sip from his beer. "Yeah, you're right 'bout that."

"I like the lyrics," Max admitted. "Whatcha gonna name it?"

"Maybe I'll come up with it while I'm singing the damn thing. Hint hint," I said, eyeballing Hiroshi.

"Hm? Oh, right," Hiroshi said, reaching for his guitar. "Where from?"

"The top."

"Gotcha." Gazing at the sheet music, he put his fingers on the strings and strummed them to make sure they were in tune, then started playing. After the first few measures, I contributed the vocals:

_Anata ga itta "Sayonara" to kiita toki (Was it only a dream)  
__Sore wa tada yume datta no? (when I heard you say "Goodbye"?)  
__Shinjitakunai kedo hontoo da to wakatteru. (I refuse to believe it, yet I know it's true.)  
__Watashi-tachi no naka dewa hi ga kieta. (The sun has set on our relationship.)_

Once the music started picking up a faster pace, I started singing at a faster pace as well.

_Doko ni ikeba ii no? (Where should I go?)  
__Itsumo anata to nai doko demo itanakatta. (I've never gone anywhere without you.)  
__Naze mada naiteiru ka na? (Why am I still crying?)  
__Watashi wa ima Free As A Bird. (I'm free as a bird now.)_

Hiroshi stopped playing and said, "Ya know what? This kinda reminds me of a faster version of _Wasurenaide_."

"Dammit, I wasn't even at the chorus yet!" I chided, starting to laugh.

"Methinks we got another #1 hit right here," Max said, nodding towards the sheet music.

"How many have we had now?" Hiroshi quipped. "I haven't bothered keeping track anymore."

"Let's just take it as a sign that we've done well," I joked, winking.

Max guzzled the last of his beer, then said, "Hmm, I'm out of Jack Daniels. Hey Priss, could you go get 'nother one out of the fridge for me?"

"Get it yourself," I said with a sly smile. "I serve no one." He threw up his hands as in surrender.

"Ok, ok, I'll get it myself," he said, playing along. As he got up, the vidphone started ringing. Before I could get up to answer it, Max dashed to it and picked up the receiver. "'Ello? Yeah. Yeah, of course she's here. This is her pad, ain't it? …Ok, I guess you can talk to her," he said, winking at me. "I trust you're not a member of the press."

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Some Sylia gal." I jumped up and grabbed the receiver from him.

"What d'ya need, Sylia?" I inquired, gazing at the screen.

"I hate to interrupt your band rehearsal," she said blandly, "but I've uncovered some information relevant to the summit incident, and you should get over here as soon as you can."

"Can't you tell me right now?"

"There's too much to go over, and besides, right now, there's too big of a risk of eavesdroppers," she said, referring to my band groupies. "I'm sure Yumeko's told you that she's worried somebody may be watching her?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the information I've received is about that."

"Ok, I'm on my way." I hung up and strided over to Max and Hiroshi. "Party's over. Something came up, so I gotta jet."

"What? We've only been here an hour!" Max protested.

"Look, I can't do anything about it, so we gotta end rehearsal early today."

"What was it that came up?" Hiroshi asked.

"None of your business," I snapped, pulling on my jacket.

"Ah, Priss Asagiri, ever the enigma," Max quipped as I shoved them out the door and locked it behind me.

_What the hell was it that Sylia found out?,_ I wondered as I raced down the street on my bike through the rain._ Is this about who's been following Yume around? Sure hope so…_

…Or would this new info just bring up a whole new slew of questions? I guess I'd find that out once I reached Sylia's place…

* * *

"Want any hot chocolate?" Linna asked as she walked into her kitchen. "I could put some on if you want."

"No, that's ok," I said, leaning back on the couch. We'd just gotten done playing canasta, and Linna seemed to win every time. Believe me, I loved the game, and I thought I was pretty good at it, but she proved me wrong every time. Oh well.

"So what do you want to do now?" she asked as she came back into the room with a bag of fat-free potato chips.

I shrugged. "I dunno."

She grinned. "I have an idea."

"What?"

She walked into her bedroom. I raised my head off the couch at the sound of her going through some boxes. What was she looking for?

"Here we go," she said as she reappeared, holding a baton in her hand.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"You ever play with one of these?"

"Not really."

"Well, let me show you." She grabbed my hand and practically yanked me off the couch, then told me to watch her. I stood there as she started turning the baton in her hands, slowly at first, then faster and faster until it was almost like a blur. After a minute, she started spinning it with only one hand, then suddenly threw it in the air. I gaped as she caught it with ease, despite the fact it had been spinning like crazy.

"How'd you do that?"

"Do what?" she asked with a grin on her face.

"You caught it out of mid-air when it was still spinning like that. How'd you do that without having it smack your hand or somethin'?"

"Practice," she quipped. "Wanna try?"

"Sure," I said, taking the baton from her. I tried mimicking what Linna had done, but my fingers only seemed to get tangled up. "It's not spinning nearly as fast as you made it do."

"Like I said, it takes practice," she said. "Try throwing it in the air."

I spun it a little more, then threw it above my head. As it came down, I reached up to catch it, but instead of landing in my hand, the baton landed smack-dab on my head.

"Ow!" I yelled as the baton landed at my feet, rubbing my head. Linna laughed and picked it up.

"Watch this," she said, starting to twirl the baton with one hand again. As she made it pick up speed, she switched it to her other hand, then she threw it up in the air, turned her back, and caught it behind her back. I gasped.

"Whoa! That was cool!" I exclaimed.

"Learned that when I was in dance class." She sighed, set the baton down on the table, and flopped down on the couch.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You came here tonight because you wanted to forget about being a Knight Saber," she said tiredly. "But the truth is, you can't just forget about it. You can try to pretend you were never a Knight Saber, but you were, and you are now, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Even if you did manage to quit, it's not going to erase all the memories that you created while you were a part of our group."

I sighed and flopped down on the couch next to her. "I guess so," I said, gazing down at my leg. "The damage has been done, so to speak."

"You could say that." She put her hand on my thigh, on the spot where I was shot. "Take off the sleeve," she said. I rolled up my pant leg and tugged it off.

Linna gazed at the scar on my leg for a moment, her eyes suddenly getting a strange cloudy look in them. She rubbed the scar and sighed. "I can't…imagine what that was like for you."

"Don't try to," I said blandly, cupping my chin in my hand.

"To be honest…I didn't think you were going to make it out of there," she admitted. I snapped my head in her direction.

"R…really?"

"After the convention center was blown up, I remember Sylia digging me out of the rubble, and after we dug Nene out, we went over to where you and Priss were. She was kneeling on the ground, holding you, and just crying. I mean really crying, Yumeko. She was begging you to wake up, to just hang in there for her… I…I thought you were already gone…" When Linna started getting tears in her eyes, my heart couldn't help but sink.

"Linna, I…"

"On the way to the hospital, I kept trying to reassure Priss that you'd be fine, that we'd make sure you wouldn't die, but…but I seriously didn't think you were going to make it. I saw how much blood you'd lost, and…I just didn't think you'd last much longer…"

I was left dumbstruck. This was really the first of what I'd heard about what happened between the time the convention center exploded and when I came out of my coma.

"After you came out of a coma, I remember Priss standing there next to me, crying, and saying that before you'd passed out, you had told her that you'd be fine, that all of us would be fine. She said that…that she couldn't believe you were right."

"I don't…remember telling her that," I admitted, almost feeling guilty that I couldn't remember telling Mom such things. Probably was another thing I'd purposely blocked out…

"It's no wonder you don't," she said.

"I don't remember anything after the Boomer strangled me, actually…"

She shook her head. "Then you don't remember the explosion. That's good. You don't want to remember it."

I reached over and gave her a huge hug. "I'm sorry…" I said, my voice starting to choke.

"What for?" she asked, surprised.

"I wasn't of any help to anybody at the summit…and I need to apologize. I tried doing as much as I could, but…I made the whole situation worse."

"That's not true. You saved Priss' life. You know that as well as she does. And you didn't make things worse. As far as Sylia's concerned, it was one more person to help fight those two Boomers. We needed everybody we could get."

I let go of her and looked her square in the face. "One thing that's been nagging at me for a while… When that second Boomer came and fought me, Mom, and Nene, why the hell did it take so long for you and Sylia to come and save us?"

Linna shook her head again. "You had trouble scanning for their locations, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I think I did."

"Well, we had the same trouble. Sylia had a feeling it might've been heading for you guys, but it wasn't till Priss said that it had cut you that we knew that for sure…"

"And not to mention the people that were still trapped in there?" I said, finishing for her.

"Yeah. We had to show them the way out too, to make sure they didn't get in harm's way. Better us than them."

I sighed. "I guess that would do it…" Now that we'd talked about the summit battle so much, what memories I had of the event were flooding my mind now. I could close my eyes and see the second Boomer swipe its lasersword at me again…hear its menacing laugh…hear it mockingly ask why I was bothering to keep fighting – I'd be dead in the end anyway.

My body went numb again as I recalled it more. _Get out of my head, you bastard!,_ I thought, starting to shake all over. _Leave me alone! You're dead now! DEAD!!_

"Are you ok?" Linna asked, noticing my oncoming panic attack.

"I feel like…like I'm the only one that's been affected by all this bullshit!" I moaned, hugging myself. "Everyone else is just carrying on like it was a walk in the park, but it WASN'T!!"

"We're all traumatized," she said, "but we all are affected in different ways. I don't know how Sylia and Priss are holding up, but Nene's told me that she has nightmares, and sometimes she gets nervous when she hears popping noises. I admit I have nightmares too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They're not as common as they were right after it happened, but I still get them every so often. So you're far from the only one traumatized by the whole event."

I forced a weak smile. "Well, I can't really say I'm glad about that, but at least I don't feel like I'm having a harder time dealing with it than everyone else."

Linna returned the smile. "Feel better now that you know that?"

"Yeah."

"That's good." After she stood up, she walked over to the window and took a glance outside. "Well, the rain's letting up."

"Doesn't help my leg any though," I joked as I pulled my leg sleeve back on, noting that it still ached, even though the rain had nearly stopped. "I should probably go home now."

"You can stay the night if you want," she suggested.

"I'll be ok," I assured her as I grabbed my jacket and put it on. "It's not that long of a drive."

"Have a good night, Yumeko," she said as I opened the door.

"I will. G'night, Aunt Linna," I laughed, closing it behind me.

As I walked across the parking lot towards my motorcycle, my mind started racing. _Funny how even though I came here to forget about the Knight Saber stuff, that's just about all we talked about, _I thought. _But still…it's nice to know I'm not just suffering in silence._ Maybe that was why I was suddenly bursting with energy; I wasn't suffering alone! It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I thought I was dealing with it wrong, but I guess I was wrong just for even SUGGESTING such a thing! For once, I was glad I was wrong about something.

I stopped walking for a second and stretched my arms out; they were starting to feel cramped up. As soon as I started walking again, though, I suddenly felt something club me over the back of the head. I dropped to the pavement, my head throbbing. Had I just imagined that?! What happened?!

I started pushing myself up to a sitting position, but then I heard somebody walk around me and before I knew it, somebody had grabbed me by my shirt and was pulling me up. With the force at which I was being pulled up, I was expecting somebody like Tsubasa.

But it wasn't him at all. I knew that from the moment I took a look at the guy's face.

"B…Boh?!"

Boh smirked. "Good evening, Yumeko," he said. He held me up higher so he could get a good look at my face; my feet were barely even touching the ground. I fumbled for something to say. What did he think he was doing, anyway?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that he held something in his other hand that hung at his side. It glistened in the light cast from the nearby lamppost, but I didn't know what it was.

Before I could even think, Boh added something else, the smirk on his face getting wider.

"Or perhaps I should say 'good night'?"

"G…good night?!"

I was about to say more, but was cut off when Boh rammed his fist into my stomach. I gasped for breath and let out a few weak coughs, then as the pain from the punch subsided, it was replaced by an intense searing pain, a pain like I had never felt before. I sucked in a breath, then realized that Boh hadn't moved his fist at all. What had he…?

After a second, it came to me: there was something sticking in my stomach. I hesitantly looked down at where Boh's fist still was, only to have a chill run down my spine when I saw the handle of a knife in his fist…and the blade sticking out of my bloodstained sweatshirt.

I let out a small whimper. What was Boh doing…?!

"W…why?" I managed to say weakly. "What…what are you…?"

Boh's smirk grew ever wider, his grey eyes practically sparkling. "What am I doing?" he finished. "My job."

"Your…your job?! What kind of job is THIS?!"

"One I've enjoyed doing quite much," he deadpanned, shoving the knife deeper. I let out a weak cry and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the wave of pain traveling through my whole body. This couldn't be happening! It couldn't be!! …Could it?

"Hm? What's that contorted look on your face for?" Boh inquired, sounding honestly curious. "You've been through something like this before, right? When that Boomer slashed you at the summit? And shot you through the leg with all your friends around you?"

If my blood hadn't already been run cold, it was frozen now. "You…you know…!" I gasped, opening my eyes again. "You're…one of them!"

"Yes, I know you're a Knight Saber," he admitted nonchalantly. "I've known since the very beginning."

I could hear our first conversation ring out in my head... "_I know what you've been through._"

"_You do?_" He'd said he knew because Michiko hadn't stopped talking about it…and now I knew for a fact that was a lie… His whole damn life was a lie…

"But…but why are…?" I asked hoarsely, tears in my eyes.

Boh withdrew the knife, then immediately plunged it into my stomach again. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. As I squeezed my eyes shut again and let the hot tears run down my cheeks, Boh said, "I told you. This is my job. It's been my job."

"You could've done this…s-so many times…" I moaned, the searing pain engulfing me again. "Why now?"

"Oh, I did try, once. But, well…" He grinned. "You sneezed."

Now my body went just plain numb. HE was the one that had shot at me!! That explained so much…!

"I'm sort of glad you sneezed actually," he admitted. "That would've been too quick of a way for you to go."

"Too…quick?!"

"Yes. This is much slower, and much more fun." He withdrew the knife and plunged it into me a third time. By now, needless to say, I was in pure agony. This was torture, and he knew it. No, no, not only did he know it…but he was enjoying it too…!

With a trembling hand, I reached into my jacket and pulled out my gun. After shakily cocking it, I pointed it between Boh's eyes.

"You're…gonna…die…" I spat, my finger on the trigger.

He looked down the barrel, not looking the least bit impressed or shaken up. "You really think you can do anything to me with that?" he asked coyly. I felt him withdraw the knife again, then a split-second later, he slapped the gun out of my hand. I gasped as it went flying through the air, bounced off a nearby car, and landed on the wet pavement. I froze in shock, my hand throbbing but not hurting nearly as bad as my stab wounds were.

"You're…you're not human!!" I groaned, my eyes wide with the realization.

"Glad to know you've realized that," Boh said, that cocky grin on his face again. At this point, I'd do anything to wipe it off his face.

"Damn Genom…" I mumbled, starting to feel faint. "Why are they so interested in me anyway? I didn't…do anything to them…"

"You didn't do anything to them personally, but…perhaps they just think you and the veterans have gotten to be too big of a thorn in their side." He shrugged. "Oh well, none of this has to do with me, really. I was just given orders to terminate you." He leaned forward, then whispered in my ear, "Oh, another reason why I've waited so long for this… It's been fun watching your fledgling recovery from your leg wound. It's been interesting seeing you go from crutches to the leg sleeve you have now. But, all games must come to an end. And this game between you and me will end tonight."

_This has been…a game to him?!,_ I thought grimly. _These past five months…just child's play?! No way…_

"If you're going to kill me," I spat, "then…then just get it over with, already!!"

He smirked again. "But this is fun. Surely you don't want to spoil my fun, do you?" After a moment of thinking, he added, "But since you insist…" And then, he shoved the knife into me again. I could do little more than groan and let the tears come again as Boh shoved the knife so deep, I could feel the hilt pressing against me. The pain by now was overwhelming my body; it was crying out to be put out of its misery. In my mind, I was practically begging for the same thing. _Just get it over with. Make it quick._

When Boh removed the knife again, whatever energy was left in me left through my wounds, for when he relinquished his hold on my sweatshirt, I didn't even have the strength to stand; I just let out a moan and slumped forward, Boh catching me in his arms.

"All the battles you've been through," I heard him mumble in my ear. "Every one of them, you've lived through, and it all will come to an end outside of your battle armor. How does it feel?" He grabbed me by my sweatshirt again, but instead of jerking me up so we'd be face to face, he tilted my head up, leaned forward, and kissed me. A cold shiver ran down my spine for about the thousandth time; it might as well have been the Kiss of Death.

After we parted lips, he let go of me and, with that smirk pasted on his face again, gave me a gentle shove backwards. I stumbled a few steps, then dropped to the pavement, my wounds flaring up in pain again, the blood making my sweatshirt stick to my skin.

"As your dying thought," Boh said, "try to think of this: at least this didn't happen where your dear friend Michiko would have seen it, right?"

"D…damn it…!" I said, my voice barely audible. "G-get back here…! I'm…I'm not done w-with you yet…!"

"Done with me?" he mimicked. "You never even started." He turned his back on me, his hands in his jacket pockets. "Ah well. My job here is finished." He looked back at me, and made a gesture with his hand; it was sort of like a salute. "Ciao."

I squeezed my eyes shut again and just laid there, the hot tears stinging my eyes again. He'd just stabbed me four times, and treated it like it was a date at a coffee bar, even saying "Ciao" at the end?! The bastard, he wasn't gonna get off easy for this if I could help it…

…which I couldn't at the moment.

_Somebody,_ I begged in my head, crying softly to myself. _Linna…somebody…please…somebody help me…!_

Almost like my silent prayer had been answered, I heard someone run past me in a blur of speed, followed a second later by a clanging noise. I snapped my eyes open to see a familiar black-haired girl holding a baton in her hands, looking ready to clock Boh again.

I smiled weakly. "L…Linna!" I moaned. "Thank God…"

"What do you think you're doing?!" Linna snapped, only to gasp when Boh turned his head to look at her, not looking the least bit affected by the hit he'd just taken. I just shook my head in disbelief.

"Hello there," Boh greeted, eyeing her. "Miss Yamazaki, you are not my target. So I suggest you keep out of my way lest you want to end up like Yumeko there."

Linna stood there with the baton clenched in both hands, holding it like a baseball bat, completely frozen in shock. "You're…you're…" she stammered as Boh took a step closer to her.

"Get…get back!" I tried to warn her. "He's a—"

Before I could finish, Boh grabbed Linna's baton, jerked it out of her hands, and swung it at her. She tried to jump back, but the baton hit her upside the head. I gasped as she fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Linna!!" I yelled, still flat on my back, in too much pain to do much of anything.

"It's too bad," Boh said matter-of-factly. "I kind of liked her. Too bad that she tried to interfere in this game of ours." He gazed down at me. "But she's out of the way now, so it's all right to continue." As he walked slowly towards me again, I put the palms of my hands to the pavement and tried pushing myself away from him. This was like an instant replay of what had happened at the summit. Hadn't I done this same thing after getting cut by the Boomer?

I couldn't get away nearly fast enough, and before I knew it, he was standing there over me, leaning down. "No…no…" I moaned, the tears coming anew, shaking my head slowly. "You can't…"

"Of course I can," he said, crouching down on his knees and picking me up by my sweatshirt again, so that I was nearly in a sitting position. He showed me his hand to show that he didn't hold the knife anymore, and then a second later, he socked me in the stomach. I gasped and started gagging, struggling for air, and when I coughed, out came some blood.

"Heh. I guess I got deep enough, then," he quipped, dropping me again, then looked over at Linna. "She spoiled my fun. This isn't as entertaining as it was five minutes ago." He stood up, then as he turned to leave, he added, "This has been fun, hanging around with you, Yumeko. Hope you enjoyed it." He did his version of a salute again, whatever that gesture was. "Good night."

I guess I must have blacked out for a few minutes, because when I opened my eyes again, it was starting to rain again, and I could hear movement from Linna nearby. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her push herself up with her elbows, then put a hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Damn him!!" I heard her yell. She looked over at me, gasped, and immediately crawled to my side. "Yumeko!! Are you ok?!"

I shook my head. "No…"

"Oh my God," she said, putting her hand over the bloodied part of my sweatshirt. "What did he do…?"

"He had a knife," I groaned.

"We gotta get you to Sylia's place, quick." She put one arm under me and helped me up. It was then I noticed where Boh had hit her: there was a huge lump on her forehead, already turning black and blue. I cried out when she pulled me to a standing position.

"I can't…!" I whimpered, my legs buckling.

"You can do it," Linna encouraged, holding me up. She wobbled a bit, probably from her newly acquired concussion, but she managed to help me the short distance to her car. I leaned against the car door, clinging to the car for dear life while Linna fumbled with the keys.

"Y…you know what?" I moaned, my head starting to spin. "I think…that this makes twice now…"

"T-twice for what?" she asked hesitantly.

"Twice that…that you've saved me…" I closed my eyes and lost my grip on the car, collapsing to the pavement again.

The last thing I heard before unconsciousness took ahold of me was Linna's voice, screaming my name.

"YUMEKO!!"

* * *

"So…this kid is the one that's been watching Yume?" I asked slowly, eyeing the picture of a black-haired teen named Boh Capri in my hand. The stuff Sylia had just told me was only beginning to sink in. A kid at her school was our new enemy?

"Yes," Sylia affirmed, nodding. "He's a Genom spy."

"But why the hell…?"

"Why are they using a boy?" she finished. "He's not a normal boy, as you've probably guessed. He's a spy Boomer, a 33D. Those types are specifically designed to carry out covert operations such as assassination plots. Genom apparently finds them more trustworthy than their own men, so they use the 33Ds instead. They're especially used for long-term operations, to watch and learn their target's movements, and then, when the time is right, they strike."

"Yumeko should be ok right now though, right?" Nene asked. "She's at Linna's apartment."

"He's not a combat model?" I inquired.

"A 33D can go into battle, but cannot burst out of its human disguise and has very little built-in weaponry. Physically, one is probably not much stronger than a normal human, much like 33S Boomers. They are very well-built, so that a normal physical examination would not reveal anything unusual."

"What happens after the Boomer's completed its job?"

"Its memory is erased and Genom uses it again for another mission."

I sighed and set down the picture. A Boomer passing for human…it brought back too many memories for me. Cynthia…and Sylvie and Anri…they all looked human to me. I would never have guessed they were Boomers; they acted so, well, human.

"So why don't we just go and take him out?"

"You forget that he's enrolled at Yumeko's school as a student. It would be difficult to eliminate him without suspicion being aroused."

"Yume's being stalked!! We gotta protect her somehow!!" I protested.

"Priss's right," Nene agreed, nodding but looking subdued. "What do we do?"

"33Ds normally strike when their victim is alone. So, for now, we simply have to make sure Yumeko is never left by herself. In the meantime, I'll try to come up with a way to eliminate Boh without attracting attention."

"But…Yume doesn't graduate till next March, so are we supposed to wait till THEN?!" I snapped. No way could I wait till next year before he wouldn't be enrolled anywhere so we could take him out!! That wasn't an option, not to me!! This was my seventeen-year-old daughter's life we were talking about!

"Remember, 33Ds are designed for long-term missions, so if we never let Yumeko be alone, then the Boomer will just be patient and wait for its opportunity—"

"This isn't just a normal operation to Genom!" I yelled, jumping out of my seat. "This is a Knight Saber they're trying to kill, so I doubt they'll be that damn patient!"

"Well, do YOU have any better ideas?" Sylia asked coyly.

"Yeah." I took out my gun and cocked it. "Let's just go kill the bastard before he can get any chance to get to Yume!"

"Priss, you don't get it," Nene sighed.

"What's there to 'get'?!" I snapped. "Yume's been marked for death, and I'm gonna protect her! What's so wrong about that?!"

Mackie spoke up. "Nothing, really, but…"

Before he could finish, the phone rang. Sylia got up to answer it. After reading the caller ID, she said, "It's Linna."

"Linna?" Nene repeated.

I instantly got a chill down my back. _What happened?,_ I thought grimly.

Sylia picked up the receiver. "What is it, Linna?"

After asking that, she immediately had to pull the receiver away from her ear, Linna was yelling so loud. Nene gulped nervously while my hands started to shake. Just from Linna's yelling, we knew it wasn't good.

"Repeat that," Sylia ordered after putting her on the speaker so we all could hear.

"Yumeko's hurt!!" Linna yelled, sounding totally hysterical. "She was attacked!!"

"Who attacked her?!" Sylia demanded, her jaw tightening. "What happened?"

"She…she was leaving here, and she got jumped!! She got stabbed!!"

My body went numb when I heard that. It was too late…Boh had already made his move… I couldn't protect her…

"Yume…" I whispered, a lump forming in my throat.

"How many times?!" Sylia asked forcibly.

"I don't know!! I didn't really look…huh?" We heard another voice on the speaker, someone sobbing. Yume, no doubt… "Yumeko says four."

"She's still alive?!" Nene exclaimed.

"Four?!" I repeated aloud.

"She's bleeding bad…I'm on my way right now, but…what am I supposed to do, Sylia?!" Linna asked, now sounding like she was crying.

"Bring her here quick," Sylia ordered. "I'll take care of things from there. Keep Yumeko talking, and make sure she doesn't close her eyes, ok?"

"I'll…I'll try!!"

"Mom…" I heard Yume say in a weak voice.

"Yume?!" I asked.

"I'm…sorry…" she cried.

"Don't say that!" I said, tears blurring my vision. "We'll take care o' ya, ok? Just hang in there!"

"O…kay…"

After Sylia disconnected, we all just stood there in shock for a moment. We had just been talking about protecting her, and what had happened? That Boh kid had already made his move!! What the hell!?

"Mackie, get the medical supplies ready!" Sylia ordered.

"Right!" he affirmed.

While they ran around grabbing the stuff they'd be needing, Nene stood up and walked over to me. "Priss?" she asked. "Are you ok?"

I still felt numb from what I'd just learned, but one thing was sure – he wouldn't get away with what he'd done. "He's one dead kid," I swore, pocketing my gun.

"Say what?!"

I made a break for the door; I couldn't just stand around doing nothing, could I?! I didn't get very far though before Nene grabbed me and tried to hold me back.

"Priss!!"

"Let go!!" I yelled, dragging her along with me as I edged my way towards the door.

"You can't go after him like this!! It won't do any good!!"

"Anyone who attacks Yume is gonna have to answer to me!!" I jerked myself towards the door again, not getting much farther. Who knew that the little redhead had so much strength?!

"Priss, you are NOT going anywhere," I heard Sylia order. I darted my eyes towards her. "You will stay here."

"DAMN it, Sylia, Yume's—" I started to protest.

"She's hurt, I know, and taking care of her is our top priority right now. As her mother, I thought she would be yours too."

Now THAT hurt.

I practically threw Nene off of me, then strided towards Sylia. "She IS my top priority!! Always has been!!"

"Then why is revenge always the first thing on your mind when something happens to her?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

I fumbled for an answer. I swear she must've rehearsed that in her head about ten thousand times… "I'm gonna show people that they can't get away with hurting her, that's all!! Doesn't mean revenge is the first thing that comes to mind!! Of COURSE I'm worried about Yume! I'd DIE for her, and you know that!!"

"I…I can't really blame Priss for her reaction to this," Nene mumbled behind me. "I'd probably react much the same if somebody hurt my daughter." She fidgeted for a moment. "I mean…she's my 'niece', so I'm really worried too, but…"

We were interrupted by the phone ringing again. Sylia turned on the speakerphone, and sure enough, it was Linna again.

"Sylia?" she said with a shaky voice. "I'm arriving now… Should I park in the parking garage?"

"Yes," she said. "I'll open it up. Mackie and I are on our way down."

"O-ok."

After Sylia and Mackie left the apartment to head downstairs, I started to follow, but it was like my feet had turned to lead. They would hardly move at all when I wanted them to.

"Priss…" Nene started to say as I wiped away the tears that started to run down my cheeks.

I shook my head. "Damn it!!" I yelled, slamming my fist into the wall. A picture fell off the wall as a result, but I hardly paid any notice at all. "She's a kid…why the hell don't they leave her alone and just come after me instead?!"

I couldn't hold it in anymore. This was just too much; Yume nearly being killed twice now?! It was repeating itself just like a damn broken record. I started crying right then and there; I hated feeling so helpless to do anything.

And Nene, standing there next to me, could do little more than offer me a hug of condolence and cry right along with me.

* * *

Once Linna arrived with Yume, Sylia and Mackie forced us to wait outside of her apartment in the hallway while they tended to her. And so there was Nene, Linna, and me, all standing outside the door, waiting for any sort of word on her. While I leaned against the wall next to the door with my arms crossed, Linna and Nene sat on the floor, leaning against the other wall. My eyes kept darting to the gauze pad that Linna had on her forehead; how did she manage to get away with just a lump on her head while Yume had been stuck like a dart board?

"Do you think it was a mistake?" Nene suddenly wondered, breaking the heavy silence.

"What was a mistake?" Linna asked, her arms folded on her knees.

"To have Yumeko join the Knight Sabers. Just look at what being a part of our group has done to her. Look at what's happened."

"How were we to know that all of this would happen? I don't think any of us had a clue, least of all her." Linna sighed. "Ah, blissful teenage naïveté."

I'd be the last person to know about that…my world was torn apart when I was twelve, what would I know about 'teenage naïveté'?

"Yume chose to join," I mumbled. "I told her the risks, but…she wanted to do it anyway. Maybe she just didn't know that Combat Boomers were real, and not just some urban myth." Heh…must've been wonderful for her to grow up in relative peace in the '40's and '50's instead of the hellish '20's and '30's…

"I know we're not getting any younger," Nene said, her voice breaking, "but did we really have to bring her into this? She had a pretty normal life until…until…" She wiped away a tear that had started to roll down her cheek. "Maybe it was just a false hope, hoping that a Knight Saber's child could ever have a normal life…"

"What WOULD you call a normal life, Nene?" I shot at her. "Probably a mom and dad, not having to worry about anything but school and friends, right? Well…if that's what you call a normal life, then…Yume never had it to begin with." She'd never want her dad in her life…not if she ever found out who he really was… THAT much I knew…

"I mean not going out and risking your neck fighting Boomers!" she yelled back. "You know I meant that!"

"Don't yell," Linna moaned, putting a hand to her head.

Nene flushed. "Oh, uh, sorry Linna."

"What the hell's taking them so long?!" I grumbled. "All this damn waiting…"

"Reminds you of when we were at the hospital?" Linna asked.

"Too much," I concurred. Talk about being dragged through hell again, not just me, but Yume… She was a hundred times worse off than I was right now. God, I hoped she'd pull through… "Four times…I can't imagine it…" One had been enough to bring me to my knees – when Anri stabbed me all those years back – but four? I shook my head at the thought.

"Try not to," Nene mumbled.

"Too late."

Suddenly, the door swung open, Mackie stepping through. Nene jumped to her feet while I snapped my head in his direction.

"What's going on?!" Nene asked.

"Sis told me to go home," Mackie sighed, closing the door and turning to walk down the hallway. I stopped him in his tracks.

"What about Yume?!" I demanded. If anything had happened…

He shook his head and gave me a weary smile. "Priss, you have one tough kid there." He walked around me and headed down the stairs, leaving us three just staring down the hallway after him.

"So is she ok or not?!" I grumbled. "He didn't even—"

"Priss," Linna said, getting much the same weary grin that Mackie had, "I think we can safely assume that Yumeko's ok. I'm sure if something happened, he would have told us so."

"Better be right," I said, heaving a sigh.

A minute later, the door opened again, except this time, it was Sylia who walked out.

"Sylia!!" I said.

She turned to me, her face stone-cold. "Priss, do you want to see her?"

"Of course I do!" That was a stupid question…

"Well, come in then." She stepped aside to let me enter.

"What about us, Sylia?" Linna asked, standing up.

"You two wait out here. I think it would only be appropriate if Yumeko's mother visited with her alone first."

"Is she ok?" Nene asked, her eyes wide. Sylia didn't answer, but instead ushered me into her penthouse and shut the door behind her. I looked around the room, expecting to see medical equipment and such spread around, but the place was desolate of anything like that.

"She's in the bed," Sylia said in a low voice, nodding towards her bed. I nodded acknowledgment, trying to swallow the lump in my throat, and walked slowly towards the bed. What was I supposed to expect when I saw my daughter?

I walked beside the bed and looked down at Yume. She was laying flat on her back with a rag over her forehead, her face pale, and if I hadn't known better, I would've said she was just sleeping. I just stood there and shook my head, my eyes welling up with tears.

"Is she gonna…?" I started to say.

"She'll live," Sylia muttered, her arms crossed. "But she's hurt badly. The stab wounds appear to be more for the purpose of torturing her than for killing her quickly."

I clenched my hands into fists and gritted my teeth. "So he was just playing with her?!"

"It appears that way, although it's obvious he did intend to kill her."

I shook my head in disbelief. It was just like the Boomers at the summit…they hadn't wanted us to die TOO quickly; they wanted to have some fun first… The image of the second Boomer stomping on Yume again and again, and hearing her scream in agony while I stood there helpless to do anything…it was too much.

"She's…a kid…" I moaned again, sinking into a nearby chair, the blood draining from my face. "When I was her age…my only real worry was rival bike gangs, but Yume…she…"

"You two were raised in completely different worlds, Priss. You know that."

"I'm aware of that…" I heaved a sigh and took one of Yume's hands into my own. "When I had her…I just never imagined that she'd be helping us fight Boomers, especially since it'd been nineteen years since our last mission. I guess I was hoping that, well…"

"That she'd be able to lead the life you never had?" Sylia finished. I nodded, not taking my eyes off my daughter.

"Before the summit, I was telling her about how naïve she is." I smirked as I remembered her practically demand why I thought she was naïve. "I guess after everything that's happened since then, she's not so naïve anymore…"

Sylia merely nodded, then took the cloth off of Yume's forehead, soaked it in cold water, then placed it on her forehead again. I saw Yume scrunch up her face in response, then let out a weak whimper.

I clenched her hand tighter, the tears threatening to break out from under my eyelids. "Yume…I'm here for you, ok? Just so you know…"

And then, something weird happened. Even though she looked like she was completely out, I felt her squeeze my hand. I opened my eyes; had I imagined that?

"Huh?"

"Mom…" she whimpered, squeezing her eyes tighter as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

I kissed her hand, ready to cry myself. "Yeah, it's me. You're gonna be ok, you hear me? Once you get better, we're gonna kick that Boh kid's ass together, I promise you."

I squeezed her hand again, and she squeezed back.

I stood up and started to head towards the door when Sylia stopped me. "I think it would be best if you stayed here for the time being," she advised, her hand on my shoulder. "Boh's probably well aware that Yumeko's still alive, so I think both you and her should stay here for a while, for your safety."

"You don't need to worry about me," I replied dryly. "I'm not going anywhere."

After she released my shoulder, I strided towards the door. It was one thing to hear that my daughter was hurt, but to actually see it for myself? That was another thing altogether. It broke my heart, seeing her like that…

"Priss!" Nene gasped once I emerged from the penthouse. "How is she?"

"How's she holding up?" Linna asked.

I looked at them both for a second, then just shook my head and strided past them, heading down the hallway towards the stairs. Once I reached them, I broke into a run, and charged down.

"Wait!!" I heard Linna yell behind me.

"Priss!!" Nene shouted.

"_As dangerous and crazy as this all sounds,_" I heard Yume's voice say, "_I can't just let you and Sylia and the others just go out there and put your lives on the line. Even though there's a lot of risks involved in this, I want to join you guys and help you put these bastards down_." My daughter…willing to become a Knight Saber, regardless of what happened to her…much like me at her age… That night she told me she wanted to join seemed so long ago, and yet at the same time, it seemed like yesterday. I'd hoped she wouldn't consider it to be just like her childhood games, and she seemed to take it seriously enough. Her almost carefree attitude about the whole thing was surprising, especially considering her life had just been turned upside-down. That is, she was pretty carefree until her first beating…

"I tried telling you before, fighting Boomers isn't just a game_,_" I reminded her after she'd had a cast put on her broken wrist.

"So I noticed…" She smiled. "Well, I guess it could've been worse. Me and Linna could've been turned into Saber burgers by that thing's heat cannon."

But…how was I to know how she felt about the whole thing? She'd considered Nene, Linna, and Sylia to be her 'aunts' her whole life; what was it like to suddenly find out they, along with Mommy Dearest, were the infamous Knight Sabers? I could only imagine.

I didn't stop running until I reached the parking garage, a full eight floors down. And even then, I felt like I just hadn't run fast enough…

"Damn it!!" I screamed, pounding the concrete wall with my fists, the tears finally breaking loose and streaking my face. Why the hell was Genom after a kid, anyway?! She didn't pose any real threat to them!! I would have rather had them kill me than her; she had her whole life ahead of her!

"Geez, you run fast…" I heard Linna wheeze as she entered the garage. I turned to look at her.

"What do you want?" I growled, grounding the tears out of my eyes with my fist. It was funny she'd said that…she was an aerobics instructor, she should've been able to run at least as fast as me.

"I just came down to see if you were ok."

"What's it to you?"

"I'm just as worried about Yumeko as you are," she said, frowning. "I was there, you know."

"So tell me about it. What did he do?"

She sighed. "I didn't see much of it, actually. I didn't hear her motorcycle drive away, so I looked out the window and there was Boh, holding her by her shirt and stabbing her. What's there to say?"

I gritted my teeth. "'What's there to say,' indeed. How'd you get that lump on your forehead if you didn't see much?!"

"I ran out and hit him with my baton, but…he grabbed it from me and hit me over the head with it." She winced, whether from the wound itself or the memory, I dunno.

"Did he…do anything else?" I inquired, the lump in my throat feeling thicker.

"If you're asking if he raped her…no, he didn't."

I sighed and leaned against the wall. "I just…wish I could've protected her…"

Linna shook her head. "Priss, you couldn't have known he'd be there. I sure didn't. And neither did Yumeko. We're not psychics, as much as we'd love to be."

I clenched my hand into a fist. "That bastard's gonna answer to me soon enough, even if it kills me…"

"Priss, this is a guy that punched Yumeko in the stomach just to see if she'd cough up blood!" Linna yelled, getting tears in her eyes. "He's a sadistic, twisted…"

"Did she?"

"Did she what?"

"Cough up blood."

"Yes," she said, nodding slowly. She looked past me and looked at her car, her eyes getting watery again. I turned around and took a look, and saw why Linna had that reaction: there was blood smeared on one of the car doors.

"What the hell?" I gasped, touching the now-dried blood.

"I tried getting Yumeko in my car to bring her here, but…she collapsed…" Her voice started choking. "And it's funny… She mentioned that this was the second time I'd saved her…"

"It is," I said dryly. "At the summit, you were the one that kept the Boomer from stomping her to death."

Linna smiled weakly. "I guess so. That must've been what she meant."

"We both owe it to ya," I sighed. "I couldn't do shit for her then…"

"You were hurt bad. Of course you couldn't have done much."

"Just like…"

"Like what?"

I put my hand on my side, where I'd been stabbed before. Once Linna saw me do that, she nodded in understanding. "Well, that's…a little different, I admit…"

"This is all a bad dream," I said, almost as if I expected it to be true. "It's gotta be."

"Isn't that what Yumeko's name means?" Linna inquired. "Child of dreams? How ironic you named her that. I dunno how she got that name either. Care to elaborate?"

I shook my head and started heading back upstairs. "Yume knows. Try asking her once she wakes up."

* * *

When I felt the light hit my eyes, I squeezed them shut even tighter than they were before. If it was the light of heaven, I sure didn't want to see it. I turned my head away from the light, and that was when I noticed a dull pain in my stomach. Not in one place, but four. It seemed to dig into me like fingers into a glob of cookie dough. I opened my eyes slowly, and after the blurred vision subsided, I saw a chair and a nightstand next to me. So much for this being the Pearly Gates.

"How did I…?" I asked myself weakly. This was Sylia's place! How had I ended up here? Then it hit me: the events of…when was it? Last night? If I'd been out for five days again, I was going to strangle somebody. And Boh…where had he gone? And where was Linna?! I hoped she was ok.

I heard footsteps nearby, then I saw Sylia walk up next to me with a rag in her hand. I sighed.

"Aunt Sylia…" I breathed as she placed the rag across my forehead.

She looked at me curiously for a moment, then resumed her cool composure. "You've been through a lot," she said.

"I noticed… Where's Boh?"

Sylia frowned. "He's gone. He won't be able to get you here. Let us worry about him while you rest."

"I can't believe it… He's a Genom agent. But how…?"

"Don't stress yourself out over that. Let Priss and me handle that."

"Where is Mom?"

"She's outside on the patio. She stayed awake by your side all night, you know."

I smiled weakly. "That doesn't surprise me." I thought for a moment, then added, "How's Linna doing?"

"She has a concussion from the hit she took, but she'll be all right."

"She…she saved my life…I have to thank her…"

Sylia shook her head. "I'm sure she knows you're thankful, but if you want me to pass along the message, I will."

"Thanks…"

After adjusting the covers, she said, "You should rest. I have to go take care of something." Before she had a chance to leave, I had to add one more thing.

"Sylia?"

"Hm? Yes?" she asked, turning around.

"Thanks for putting up with all my crap…" Sylia smirked.

"It's nothing," she responded as she exited the penthouse.

After she left, everything was dead quiet. I just laid there in bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort through what I'd been through just in the last day…hell, what had gone on ever since the battle at the Boomer summit. I remembered when I'd first met Boh; at the time, he'd just seemed like a weird kid. Damn hindsight…how could I have not seen it then? A kid who started at Kihi just four days before I started going back there again should've caught my attention, but…I guess anybody would've thought it was just coincidence. And besides, it was early in the school year then; probably was a great time to transfer.

And then, there was the matter of him and me happening to be in the same place at once. When I'd had a nightmare and gone out to look for Mom at 2 AM, Boh had 'just happened' to be passing by my apartment building. And when I'd bought Mom that guitar for her birthday, I'd seen Boh on the sidewalk among the crowds.

How the hell could I have not seen it?!

Even Michiko, sweet, naïve Michiko, had noticed it before me. My first day back at school, she'd commented that he was 'weird', and that after only being at the school for four days, everyone knew to avoid him.

And then there was Linna…even she didn't think anything of his interest in me; she brushed it off as him just having a crush.

But how were any of us to guess that he was working for Genom? That he was a Boomer? That his only mission in life was to kill me? And here I was, laying in bed with four stab wounds to my gut, not doing a damn thing to stop him from trying again, or trying to kill someone else! Sylia said not to worry, that she'd take care of it, but…what exactly was she doing? Nothing, as far as I knew.

"This is enough," I finally said to myself, frowning. I put the palms of my hands to the bed and pushed myself up, but the moment my back lost contact with the bedsheets, my wounds flared up horribly; it felt like I was being stabbed all over again. I cried out and fell back onto the bed, clutching my stomach, the sweat running down my face just from that little effort.

"Maybe I…can just roll out," I said aloud. After a few seconds, I threw my whole weight to the side, and sure enough, I went tumbling out of bed, only to land on my stomach.

"OWW!!" I screamed, the pain feeling like it was spreading through my whole body. I laid there and whimpered, the tears streaming down my face, until the pain subsided, which took longer than just a few minutes. But once it didn't hurt nearly so much to move, I pushed myself up again and leaned against the bed, gasping for air, it hurt so much. But having gone this far, I certainly wasn't going to try and get myself back into bed; getting out hurt bad enough.

To my left, I heard the front door open and close. I turned and looked to see who it was. Had Sylia come back already?

"Y…Yumeko!" Nene gasped when she saw me. She ran around the couch – for a moment looking like she was gonna jump over it instead – and ran to me.

"Nene!" I moaned, starting to crawl towards her, but stopped; it hurt so damn much! I just sat there on my knees while Nene bent down, tears in her eyes.

"I didn't think you'd be awake so soon," she said, her voice choking.

"Better than being out for five days like before," I quipped, aching all over. "What…what am I supposed to do, Nene?"

"What do you mean?"

I wiped away the tears from my eyes, Nene putting her hands on my shoulders to support me. "He tried to kill me… He's…he's probably going around at this very moment acting like nothing happened! I can't just sit here and let him get away with it!"

"Sylia's trying to figure something out, but with him enrolled as a student, like she said, it's not going to be easy to get rid of him without arousing suspicions among everybody else."

"I don't give a shit whether he's enrolled or not! He's…gotta…!" I whimpered and clutched my stomach again; the stabbing pain was coming back.

"He has to pay, I know," Nene finished for me.

"But…" I mumbled, tears of pain blurring my vision, "but with what he's done…"

"Hm?"

"I'm…I'm scared, Nene…!" I admitted, throwing my arms around her torso. "He's gonna come back and finish the job!"

Nene wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close. "Yumeko, we as the Knight Sabers are not going to let that happen. We're here to protect each other as well as the city. I don't know how we're going to get rid of Boh, exactly, but just leave it to us; we'll figure something out."

"It's ok to be scared!" I heard a familiar voice say. Nene and I looked up and saw Mom standing nearby, arms crossed as she gazed out the window, a stern look on her face. When had she come in from outside? I hadn't even heard the door.

"Priss?" Nene gasped.

Mom, not looking at us, said, "Nobody said you're not allowed to be scared. It's only human to feel that way." After a long pause, she added, "I would know."

"M…Mom!" I said.

"Even the Priss Asagiris of the world feel fear every so often," Mom quipped, almost smirking. "But…the last time I felt it, I won't forget it…"

Nene and I both gaped at her; we knew what she was referring to…

The night of my conception.

* * *

I guess I have to rewind almost eighteen years to get back to that night. Hmph…with as real as it still seems whenever I think about it, it may as well have happened yesterday. But with a seventeen-year-old daughter stemming from what happened that night, I guess it wouldn't be possible to say that.

I remember the date all too well: October 7th, 2037, barely a month after returning from my tour. I had wanted to go out and have some fun, so I invited Linna and Nene out for a night on the town. We had hit some of the popular nightspots, but eventually made our way to Hot Legs, a sentimental favorite and where I'd gotten my start as a singer.

I had already told Yume what happened at the nightclub, and Nene obviously was there, so I didn't need to retell that, except for what happened after she left. But the full details of what happened after I left the nightclub had only been known to me…until now.

Stumbling down the street towards my apartment, I was still feeling some of the ill effects from whatever had been slipped into my drink, despite throwing it back up. One hand to my head, I held the other against the wall to guide me, and to keep me from falling over. It was almost like a hangover.

I came to an alley, and when I looked up, I saw my apartment building nearby, and figured I'd cut through there.

A mistake I'd quickly come to regret.

But…is it really a mistake if out of it came a girl that I'd love more than life itself? A girl who resembled what I might have turned out to be if my life hadn't gone to shit?

But, well, back then, I sure didn't know that. Especially not at the moment when I suddenly felt a large hand clamp down on my shoulder and felt a knife get shoved into my side.

I gasped in surprise as I froze in shock, the hot blood quickly saturating my side.

"No one, and I mean no one, brushes me off like that," he spat as he drove the knife deeper. I didn't even cry out in pain; I just fell to my knees, still frozen in utter shock, the bastard's hand still on my shoulder and the knife still embedded in my side.

"I thought you were tough," he said dryly, laughing. "I guess you're not as tough as you look, are ya!!"

"T…tough?" I managed to say, then squeezed my eyes shut and jerked my head backwards, headbutting him in the forehead, judging from his reaction.

"Shit!!" he yelled, dropping the knife and taking a step back. I swung around and punched him in the face, then kicked him in the balls. Then, I grabbed him by the hair, and swung up my knee at the same time I yanked his head down.

"Damn it…" I groaned, grabbing my side as he struggled to his feet. "If you don't want to go home with a bullet hole through your face, you better get the hell outta here now!" I pulled out my gun and was about to cock it when the guy lunged forward and grabbed me by the wrist, then punched me in the nose and twisted my arm behind my back.

"You think I'm not good enough for you?" he growled, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Is that it?" He twisted my arm harder, making me grit my teeth to keep from crying out; I wasn't gonna give him that satisfaction. I was about to elbow him with my free arm when he went and grabbed that one too, and slammed my face into the brick wall of the alley. While I was left reeling from that move, he threw me to the ground and pinned me down on my stomach, both my arms twisted behind my back.

"GET OFFA ME!!" I screamed, flailing my legs and struggling to get out from underneath him in vain.

"Why?" he asked jokingly. "You know ya want this."

"Like HELL I do!! Get the hell off me NOW!!"

"It'll feel good," he said as he grabbed my jeans and yanked them down. I felt the panic shoot up my spine; this…this couldn't be happening!

"Get…OFF!!" I yelled again, trying to get my arms free somehow. But the bastard…he just laughed, laughed as I tried in vain to defend myself against him. Just because he was at least twice my size and twice my weight didn't mean I wasn't gonna fight him tooth and nail.

"Here I come!" he said almost child-like. A second later, I felt something hot get shoved between my legs. I screamed as he shoved deeper, the pain sharp and excruciating.

The bastard laughed as he thrust again. "What, you a virgin?" he inquired. "With all the guys you attract, I wouldn't have thought so." I screamed again, but he slapped a hand over my mouth. "Ah well…guess ya learn something new every day."

By now, I was in survival mode; who wouldn't be?! I bit down on his fingers as hard as I could, and with a surge of energy, despite my stab wound and the fact that the guy was on top of me, I threw myself to one side, almost managing to get him off me.

Almost.

"Damn it, hold still for me!" he yelled. He grabbed a nearby brick and a second later, felt it slam into the side of my head. I almost literally saw stars, I was hit so hard. I kicked my legs and tried to move again, but then he went and hit me in the face with the brick. I felt the blood on my face, but at this point, that was the least of my worries, needless to say. He raised the brick again, and then I felt it slam into my head again.

I don't remember anything after that; I guess I must've blacked out. But when I came to, it had started to rain. I lifted up my head, looking to see if the son of a bitch was still there, but he was gone. I rolled over onto my back and just laid there. _Maybe I just got drunk and got into a fight at Hot Legs and passed out here,_ I thought, wanting to believe it. For a moment, I almost convinced myself it was true. _That…that couldn't have happened. That bastard…he didn't really do what he did. No way. Not to me._ I sat up, and as my head started pounding, I leaned against the brick wall, gasping for breath; I hadn't been in this much pain since…since…since when? Since I was a Knight Saber? Even when I saw my jeans pulled down to my knees, with the buttons popped off of them from being yanked down so hard, it didn't hit me. I tried not to think about it and pulled them back up, gritting my teeth to keep from crying out when the stab wound in my side started stinging.

Hell if I know how I got home after that; one moment, I was in that alley, wobbling to my feet, and the next moment, I was fumbling with the keys to unlock the door to my apartment, dazed. I stumbled in, slammed the door behind me – somehow remembering to lock it – then made my way to the bathroom, stripped off my bloody clothes, and just sat there in the shower with the water turned on as hot as I could stand. When the water hit my wounds, I normally would've cried out, cringed, something. But right now I was just indifferent; wasn't any worse than what had just happened.

I passed out right there in that shower stall, and when I came to in the morning, the water had gone cold. I sat up and turned it off, dried myself off, bandaged up my stab wound – that's what I get from seeing Sylia doing it so many times – then got dressed in whatever clothes I could move around in without hurting myself. I popped some pain pills and just laid there on the couch, letting myself zone out.

Must've been a hangover. Or maybe I got into a bike wreck; that would explain why my bike was missing from the parking lot. But damn…I knew none of that bullshit was true.

Woulda been nice to believe it, though.

The next day, Linna called. She was wondering why I wasn't at Survival Shot with them. My head was so messed up, I could barely think straight, let alone make up an excuse.

"I'm just not gonna show up, ok?" I snapped; thank God my phone at the time wasn't a vidphone. Linna would've freaked out if she saw me.

"Priss, is everything ok?" she asked; she and everyone else in the whole goddamn world knew I wouldn't show up for no reason.

"Fine. Dandy. PEACHY. Ok?!" I hung up on her. And I went to the cupboard and downed damn near half a bottle of vodka before passing out again.

The next week, I went and did some training exercises with Sylia and the others. I practically thanked God we were only doing Survival Shot again instead of fighting the holograms. Then they really would've seen how messed up I was. But_ qué será, será_, I guess. And not like it would've made a big difference if I was in top shape or not; Linna and I still lost and we still had to foot the bill for dinner afterwards. Nice to know SOMETHING was a constant in my turned-upside-down life.

I almost got away with fooling them, even Sylia. That is, until three months after the fact. I woke up and immediately had to run to the bathroom to puke. It was January, so naturally I assumed it was a stomach flu. It had been going around, what else would it be?

Linna and I went out to lunch one day, and she commented that I didn't look too well.

"You look kinda pale," she said. "Are you ok?"

I nodded and shoved a piece of steak into my mouth. "Yeah, fine. Just been having the flu for the past few days."

"The flu, huh? Have you thrown up at all?"

"In the mornings. Why?"

I couldn't even let her answer; at that moment, a wave of nausea rose into my throat, and I had to get up and run to the bathroom to throw up. While my head was in the toilet, Linna came up behind me and asked something I was hoping never to hear.

"A 'flu,' eh? When was the last time you got your period?"

"My per—" I started to say. I thought for a moment, then shook my head. "Haven't been paying attention. Why the hell are you asking about that, anyway?"

"Well, if you've missed one, there's another possibility besides a little bug."

"Wh… You're KIDDING me!" I exclaimed, laughing…nervously. "Are you suggesting I'm pregnant?"

"Look, if you think you've been fooling me, you're wrong. You don't think that I've noticed you walking around in pain, and the bruises that you tried covering up with make-up? Priss, I used to be a dancer. I know all the tricks people can play with make-up. What happened?"

"N…nothing happened! I just got into a fight!"

Linna got a weird sad look on her face, and for such an optimist like her, it was strange seeing her like that. "Just a fight?" she asked sadly. "I don't know if I can believe that. Those wounds, plus the fact you've been throwing up in the mornings… It's been about three months, right?"

"I don't want to hear this!" I declared, marching out of the bathroom and out of the restaurant. It couldn't be true…it HAD to be just a coincidence, it HAD to be… Right?

I was hoping it was just that, but the next day, Linna showed up at my apartment. I asked her what she thought she was doing, and she reached into her purse and pulled out a pregnancy test.

"Oh, THIS again," I grumbled.

"Look, you're the only one that knows if this is possible. So just go into the bathroom and take the test."

"I don't need to piss on a stick to know that the test'll come up negative."

"To put your mind at ease, please. I know that you think it's possible. Just looking at you gives it away."

My eyebrow twitched, and I snatched the thing out of her hand. "If it'll make you get off my ass about it, fine. Be right back." I turned and strided into the bathroom, slamming the door. I drank a few glasses of water to make myself hafta pee, then I took the thing out of the box, pulled down my pants, sat on the toilet, and peed on the stick. _This is stupid_, I thought. _What a waste of time…_

And then I looked at the results.

Two lines.

I picked up the box and looked at the instructions to see what that meant. I looked at the stick, then the box again. And again. And again, more frantic. I was sure I'd read it wrong. Or maybe I just had double vision. I even shook the stick, but…it still showed two lines.

_Oh…God…_, I thought, starting to tremble all over as I just stared at the lines. _He did it…he really… I have a part of him in me…_

I screamed. It was the only thing I could do.

Linna came running into the bathroom. "What's wrong?!" she asked.

"NO!!" I screamed, punching the wall. "No!! I can't be pregnant! No way in hell!!"

"Huh?!"

"He actually got me pregnant with his kid!!" I screamed again and kicked the wall.

"You mean you're…?!"

I sunk to my knees, one hand against the wall. "N…no way… I'm…I'm pregnant…" And then, I started to cry. Linna bent down and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Priss, I…I don't know what to say…"

"I can't be a mom! This wasn't…it wasn't…!"

"Wasn't planned?" Linna gasped. "Oh no…you mean…that 'fight' you got into…"

I nodded grimly.

"You…you were raped?"

"Announce it to the world, why dontcha," I said, my voice choking.

"Who was it?" she asked sternly. "Who did it?!"

"What does it matter now?!" I snapped, wiping away my tears. "It's not gonna change a damn thing! I'm having his kid!!"

"Priss, you have to make him responsible for what he's done! It won't do any good to keep it bottled up!"

I didn't say it to her, but I'm sure she knew part of why I wasn't going after him; the press would have a field day with this. The headlines would scream some bullshit about the almighty lead singer of the Replicants getting raped and having a baby come out of it. And the tabloids…need I mention how THEY would twist it around? Welcome to the dark side of being world-famous.

The next day, my neighbor Tilda came knocking on the door. I wiped away my tears and opened the door, and there she was.

"Priscilla," she said, "is there anything I can do to help you?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't need nothin'. Just leave me alone…"

"I overheard everything. You were yelling so loud that I couldn't help it."

"Look…I don't need your pity, nor do I want it. I just need time to think right now, ok?"

She nodded. "All right. Come by if you ever need anything."

I shut the door and laid down on the couch. What was I supposed to do?! I hadn't been expecting a kid, let alone like this. A kid was the last thing I expected to come along.

That weekend, Linna came over to my place and said that we should probably let Sylia and Nene know about the situation, and I reluctantly agreed. "They'll find out sooner or later," she pointed out, pointing to my stomach.

"Right…"

So we drove up to Sylia's Lady 633 building, and took the elevator to the top floor. Linna knocked on the door, and Sylia asked who was there.

"It's just Priss and me," she said.

"Come in," Sylia replied. We both walked in and saw Nene was there as well, working on a report or something.

"Oh, hi!" Nene squealed, jumping up out of her seat. Her smile quickly disappeared when she saw the looks on our faces. "Yeesh…w-what's wrong?"

"Priss has something to say," Linna said, turning to me. I leaned against the wall, my arms folded across my chest. I just shook my head.

"Want me to tell them?"

I nodded, casting my eyes down.

Linna sighed and turned back to Sylia and Nene. "Well…" She thought for a moment, and took a breath. "Priss is three months pregnant."

"She's WHAT?!" Nene gasped. "Oh wow, that's great!! I thought you were gonna say something just awful!! Don't scare me like that!"

"Um, Nene…"

"I can't believe you're pregnant, Priss!!" She ran up to me and grabbed one of my hands. "That's wonderful! I bet Leon's going to make a great dad!"

"Leon's not the dad," I mumbled.

"He…he's not?" She turned to Linna. "Is that true?"

Linna nodded. "You wish he was."

"But who else would Priss sleep with?"

"WHAT?!" I snapped. "I've never—"

"But how else could you be pregnant?"

"Nene…Priss was raped," Linna sighed.

Nene paled. "You…you were?" She fumbled for something to say, casting her eyes to the floor as tears welled up in her eyes. "I didn't know… I'm sorry…"

"C'mere," I said, grabbing her arm. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her, starting to cry myself. The little redhead returned the hug and cried along with me.

"Well…I wasn't expecting that," Sylia admitted. "So, Priss, what do you plan to do?"

I let go of Nene and looked up at her. "I…I don't know… It's not like this was very well thought-out…"

"Well, you need to think of something soon."

"I know…" I folded my arms over my chest again. "If the Boomers start coming out again, I won't be able to help if I'm like this…I don't want to endanger any of you, but…"

"But?"

"But…it's not like it's the kid's fault for what happened. I can't abort it."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I…don't know!" I wiped away the tears from my eyes. "What do you think I should do, Sylia? I can't…"

"It's not my decision to make, Priss." She walked towards me, stopping next to Linna. "This is your child. Whatever you decide to do is fine by the Knight Sabers."

"R…really?"

"Of course." She smiled. "I can't tell you what to do. This is your decision and yours alone to make."

The tears started to roll freely down my cheeks, and I didn't wipe them away this time. "S-Sylia…thank you…"

"Priss, I'll help out any way I can!" Nene reminded me. "We'll help you with the baby!"

"It's not the end of the world," Linna said. "For your baby, I'd say it's more like the beginning, actually!"

* * *

"That's about it," I said, sighing.

Yume just sat there, dumbstruck. "W…wow…"

Nene wiped away her tears. "Priss, I didn't…know it was like that at all. And despite that, you're still the toughest person I know. I want you to know that."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks…"

"What about when I was born?" Yume asked, Nene helping her to her feet.

I snickered. "Oh, what an event that was…"

Nene laughed. "Yeah, no kidding!"

"What of it? What's so funny?" Yume asked, her legs wobbling in the effort to keep her up.

"It happened so suddenly, I couldn't do anything. I'd been having a backache all day, and I went to the bathroom, and…" I laughed. "And that's when you decided to come out. All it took was one push!!"

Yume scrunched up her face in disgust. "I was…born in the bathroom?!"

"Yep!"

"Aw hell…" She sat down on the bed. "And what about my name? Do I REALLY want to know how you thought up my name?"

I smiled. "That's not nearly so bad as giving birth to you in the bathroom, trust me." I sat down next to her. "For, like, the month or so before I had you, I'd been having dreams about what you'd be like. You were so perfect in every way, and you still are now, of course. And when I had you, you looked exactly like the baby in my dreams. And…and well, as you know, you weren't really planned, and I didn't want to abort you; it wasn't your fault for coming into this world. I'd been thinking if I ever did have a kid, she'd be just like you. You were supposed to just be a kid I'd dream about, but never actually have. But, well, 'that' happened, and here you are.

"And after I had you, it was the only name I could think of. 'Yume' for 'dream', and 'ko' for 'child'. 'Child of dreams'. Yumeko. Appropriate enough, I guess."

Nene just stood there, gaping. "Whoa…that's deep."

"That's cool," Yume breathed, then grabbed her stomach in pain. "It makes sense, how I got my name, anyway."

"You better rest, Yume," I said, laying her down in the bed and putting the sheets over her. "God knows how much that must hurt."

"It's not too bad." She winced.

"Just rest, ok?" I bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll try to take care of what's going on now."

"O…okay…"

Nene and I walked out to the patio. As I sat down in one of the lawn chairs, Nene sat in the other one and drummed her fingers on the table. "But how are we going to take care of it, Priss?" she asked. "We don't know where to start."

"I know where to start," I fired at her, leaning back in the chair. "We just gotta corner the bastard, then blow his brains out, if he has any."

Nene laughed nervously. "If only it were that easy!"

_No kidding_, I thought. _If only… _


	7. Sacrifice

For the next three days, they wanted me to stay in bed, let my wounds heal, stuff like that. But I couldn't stand it! Just laying there while Boh walked free just ate away at me. I didn't even know what Sylia's plans were to get rid of him. Whenever I'd ask Mom or the others, they'd just say not to worry about it, that they'd take care of it. Argh!! Why couldn't they just be honest with me? Did they think I was too 'emotionally fragile' because I'd been stabbed?

Well, stab wounds be damned. On the third day after Boh ambushed me, I decided to sneak out; I couldn't take any more of this waiting. I made my way out of bed – biting my lip to keep from hollering in horrific pain – and got dressed. After tying my hair back and putting on a baseball cap and shades, I peeked out into the hallway to make sure nobody was around, then walked out and headed towards the elevator.

It was easy enough; after exiting the elevator on the main floor, all I had to do was walk outside and make my way to the bus stop without Sylia or Nene spotting me through the windows of their Silky Doll shop. Once I accomplished that, I walked to the nearest bus stop, holding my stomach in pain the whole way, and got on the bus that would take me near Kihi Senior High. I just had a feeling Boh would be carrying on as normal, and if I was right, surely he'd be at the school.

By then, my wounds had started to hurt like hell, and I was so preoccupied with trying to ignore the pain that I almost missed my stop. I had to yell to the bus driver to stop the bus so I could get out. Once I got out, I walked the block and a half or so to the school, went into the student parking lot, and just sat there on the lawn, leaning with my back against the fence, waiting. _You son of a bitch,_ I thought. _Once I get you alone, you're dead meat._

After a few minutes, I heard the bell ring that signaled the beginning of the lunch hour, and soon enough, kids came pouring out of the school. I kept an eye out for Boh, but with so many kids, it was hard to pick him out.

"Hey, Yumeko!" a girl yelled. I snapped my head up and saw Ana heading towards me. _Oh no,_ I thought, adjusting my cap.

"Where ya been the past few days?" Maru asked dryly, walking up behind Ana. "Haven't seen you around."

"Just been sick," I said quickly.

"What's with the shades?"

"To keep the sun outta my eyes, what else?" I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You sure you've been sick?" Ana whispered. "'Cause Michiko's been gone for the past few days too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You were both here on Monday, but for the past few days after that, neither of you have been here."

I tried in vain to swallow the lump in my throat that had formed. Michiko was gone too? Surely it was just a bad coincidence. _Yeah, it's gotta be that,_ I thought.

"Yeah, Ana's right," Maru said. "You both just suddenly disappeared. And it's funny; you're here, but you haven't gone to any classes, and your lover, she hasn't shown up at all yet today either."

"What do you mean my LOVER?!" I screamed, getting to my feet, and immediately regretting it; that sudden movement made my wounds flare up in pain, and I whimpered and grabbed my stomach, gritting my teeth.

"Huh? Some of those toys she use on you have a bad side-effect?" Maru wisecracked.

"SHUT UP!!" I yelled, still holding my stomach. "I'm not exactly in the mood to deal with your bullshit!!" I fell to my knees, the pain was now so bad.

"Y…Yumeko, you ok?" Ana asked, looking concerned.

"C'mon, Ana. Let's go have a smoke, 'k?" Maru said, walking away.

"Be right there." Ana bent down and put a hand on my shoulder. "What happened?"

"N…nothing much," I said weakly, taking off my shades. "So Micchan hasn't shown up at all, either?"

"Nope. And now that I see you're hurt, I'm kinda wondering what happened with her too…" She thought for a moment. "Show me."

"S-show you what?"

"Your stomach!"

I shook my head. "I can't get you mixed up in this, Ana…"

"Mixed up in what?" she inquired.

I dragged her away from the crowds, then whispered, "Somebody tried to kill me, ok? And if they find out you know about this, they might go after you too."

"So show me already!" she snapped.

"Fine." I gingerly lifted up my shirt enough so that Ana was able to see the bandage around my stomach.

"Take off the bandages," she said.

"Why?"

"I wanna see how bad it is, that's why!"

I sighed and reluctantly took off the clips that held the bandage in place, then unwrapped the bandage. When the air hit my wounds, I grimaced in pain.

Ana's eyes widened at the sight of the wounds. "You got stabbed!"

"Yeah." I replaced the bandage and grimaced again. "I'd rather not have the whole world know about it. So don't tell anybody, ok?"

"But…if somebody tried to kill you, shouldn't you go tell the cops or somebody?"

"You really think I'd go to them and say somebody tried to kill me?! It's because somebody knows I'm a Knight Saber! That's why I'm being targeted! But…"

"But what?"

"But why is Michiko missing?" God, I hoped nobody thought she was in the way. She HAD to be ok! She was my best friend in the world!

"Maybe you should just go home and lay low for a while," Ana suggested. "You being here is gonna raise a lot of suspicions."

"It's not like I've never cut class before," I quipped. "It'll be fine."

"Why'd you come here, anyway? If you're hurt so bad, I mean."

"I can't say."

"Can't say or won't say?"

"Come on already, Ana!" Maru snapped, striding over to us. "What're you talking with this bitch for, anyway?"

"The only bitch around here is you," I snapped.

Maru rolled her eyes and dragged Ana away, leaving me by myself. _Boh's gotta be here,_ I thought, my gazing wandering towards the student entrance. _He's gotta be. And maybe he knows I'm waiting for him…_ And now that I knew Michiko was nowhere to be seen, that gave me another reason to confront him…

The next few hours rolled by uneventfully, and as I sat there in the shade, popping some aspirin when I needed it, I started wondering if he'd decided to show up at all. But I guess if he hadn't, then Ana or Maru would've said something about it. But then again, these were the girls that had teased me about my relationship with Michiko for a long time, so maybe they'd only brought her up for that reason. Damn, I couldn't even think straight right now…!

Before I knew it, the last bell rang, signaling the end of school. I sat there for the next few minutes to let the initial wave of kids pass, then I made my way inside, and nearly leaped a mile in surprise when the metal detector was set off; I'd forgotten all about it.

"Oh, hey Yumeko!" one boy yelled, laughing. Others laughed with him; they'd come to know by now that if the detector went off, it probably meant I was here. Damn. So much for being inconspicuous…

I walked down the main hallway among the few remaining kids there, looking for that familiar black ponytail. _He's gotta be here,_ I thought. I kept walking, sometimes stopping to lean against the lockers because of the pain. All the while, I kept thinking about Michiko. I started to tremble at the thought that something might have happened to her. Was I just overreacting? Possibly, but I just couldn't shake the thought that something was horribly wrong. I took off my cap and let down my hair; no use trying to hide anymore. I was going to confront him face to face, and if I ended up being stabbed again, then so be it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a boy turn into another hallway. I peeked down that hallway, and felt the blood drain from my face; it was Boh. My feet turned to lead, not wanting to move another step in his direction, but I knew I had to press on. I'd come this far, and I wasn't going to turn back now.

After a few seconds of just standing there, I swallowed deeply, then reached into my jacket and pulled out a pocketknife. And then, I started following him, trying not to make the sound of my limping echo TOO much through the hallway. But it was useless; I was about six feet behind him when he realized somebody was walking behind him. As he turned around, I acted; I ran towards him and rammed him into the lockers.

I put the knife up to his throat and snapped, "Where is she?!"

"Ah. Yumeko," Boh said casually. He started to smirk. "How are you?"

"Where the hell is Michiko?!" I repeated.

"Your friend with the streaks in her hair? Why are you asking me?"

"She's been missing since the night you stabbed me. I want to know what happened to her, and NOW!!"

"It's true what they've said," he said, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "You really are stubborn. Stabbed four times, yet you dare to confront me again?" He smirked. "You don't learn, do you?"

"Where is she?!" I asked again, the tears welling up in my eyes. "I swear I'll kill you if you don't tell me!!"

"Kill me?" He reached up and grabbed me by the shirt, then stepped forward, turned around, and shoved me into the lockers; we'd switched places now! He grabbed the knife from my hand and put it up to my throat. "You really think you could kill me?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and whimpered, the tears coming freely; my stomach hurt almost as much as it did when Boh had stabbed me, and on top of that, here he was, probably going to try again.

"Not answering? Well, I'll tell you something about Michiko. Maybe she's just sick. Ever given that a thought? Or maybe she went on a family vacation?"

"You and I…both know neither of those are true!" I spat.

He smirked again. "Maybe they are, and maybe they're not. Either way, maybe you're just making a mountain out of a molehill." And suddenly, still holding me by the shirt, he threw me across the hallway, right into the row of lockers on the other side. As I slumped to the floor, he walked over and put a foot on my back. "You really should know not to mess with me. I could kill you right now if I so wished."

"Do it!" I dared, tears in my eyes again. "What's stopping you?! Do it!!"

"You WANT me to kill you?" he asked, curious. "Heh. The only reason you're still alive right now is because Miss Yamazaki noticed our game. She spoiled it."

"G…game?!"

"You're lucky that you'll be getting out of here alive today." He took his foot off my back.

"Hey, aren't you going to kill me?" I asked sarcastically, still on the ground.

"A school is no place to settle this," he said dryly. "Too many potential witnesses, to boot. Wouldn't you rather we keep this game to ourselves? It's more fun that way." He started to walk away, then stopped. "Oh. Here's your knife." He dropped it next to me.

"Damn you," I growled.

"You shouldn't be talking like that to someone who could've killed you just now," Boh said matter-of-factly as he disappeared down the hallway. "I'll be seeing you later."

I just laid there for a minute or so afterwards, in too much pain to do much else. A stupid game, that's all this whole thing was to him. He enjoyed torturing me like this; that was obvious enough. And Michiko…I still didn't know what happened to her.

I did the only thing I could do at the moment…

…and that was to sit and cry.

_Michiko…Micchan…,_ I thought as the tears came pouring out, _please let me know you're ok. You…you gotta be ok! Why would anyone target you? Just give me a sign…! Please!_

* * *

As soon as I was able, I left the school and caught the next bus to Michiko's apartment. It was the only way to know for sure whether or not I was right to worry, or if I was just overreacting like I'd done so many times. But then again…the last time I felt something was wrong, I was right; I had a scar across my stomach and on both sides of my left leg as a result of what happened then.

I practically jumped off the bus and ran to the apartment building, my stab wounds hurting more and more with every passing second. My leg wasn't exactly in running shape either, and it, too, started to hurt, throbbing with every step. I tried to block it out, but after a few seconds, I was holding my stomach while trying to run at the same time, and soon enough, my eyes were watering from the pain.

I was halfway across the parking lot when suddenly, I tripped and fell face-first on the pavement. Shaking, I pushed myself up to my hands and knees, tears streaking my face.

"You ok?" I heard Michiko's dad ask. I looked up and saw him next to me, bending down on his knees.

"Mr.…Mr. Ishiodori!" I gasped.

"Let me help you up," he said. I let him help me to my feet, and then my knee started burning with pain. I looked down and saw it was scraped and bleeding. I winced, not from the scrape, but from my stab wounds.

"W-where's Michiko?" I asked quickly, not wiping the tears from my face.

"I'll explain once we get up to our apartment."

One arm around my shoulders, Mr. Ishiodori helped me up the stairs and to his apartment. Once he opened the door, Michiko's mom came running to us.

"Oh, Yumeko!" she gasped. "What happened?"

"She tripped in the parking lot," Mr. Ishiodori said.

"Let me go get something for that." She ran to get a Band-Aid and some disinfectant while I sat down on the couch, grabbing my stomach when it flared up in pain for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Where's Michiko?" I asked again. Mr. Ishiodori shook his head.

"We don't know," he admitted, looking remorseful. "The last time we saw her, she went to help you at one of your therapy sessions. She never came home."

"We called around," Michiko's mom cut in, returning to wash my cut and put the bandage on it. "There was no answer at your place, and she wasn't at the other places we called either. So we waited and hoped that maybe she was out shopping or something. But she didn't come home." She wiped away the tears that started welling up in her eyes. "On Tuesday we went to file a missing person's report, but what did the cop say? He said we had to wait seventy-two hours to file one. Seventy-two hours! That's three days! A lot can happen in three days!"

"Y-yeah, I know," I mumbled, whimpering as I grabbed my stomach again. Both of Michiko's parents looked at me, concerned.

"What happened?" Michiko's dad asked.

I laid down on the couch, moaning. "It's…it's nothing…"

"Let me look," Michiko's mom said, lifting up my shirt. "My God. What's with the bandage? Did you get cut or something?"

I shook my head weakly. "No… I got stabbed…"

"Stabbed?!" She looked me in the face and said, "When?!"

"After I left my therapy session. I said bye to Michiko, and me and Linna went over to her place. I got stabbed over there."

"Adrienne, don't cry," Mr. Ishiodori said when she did start to cry. "I doubt that's what happened to Michiko."

"But what if…?" she sobbed. "Oh God, Kenji, what do we do if something happened to her?!"

I blinked away my tears and tried not to think about that possibility. "That's why I came over here… I heard about it at school, and…and I had to come here and make sure she wasn't just sick or something."

"I bet I know who it was that might have hurt my daughter!" Michiko's mom declared. "I bet it was the Knight Sabers! Those evil people, who do they think they are?!"

I jumped up off the couch. "It wasn't the damn Knight Sabers!!" I yelled. "You can't assume that everything bad that's happened is attributed to them!"

"Why not?" she snapped. "They're vigilantes who are up to no good!!"

"They may be vigilantes, but Michiko admires them! She admires them for putting their lives on the line to save us everyday citizens! They saved my life!"

"Yumeko's right, Adrienne," Michiko's dad sighed.

"Why would they hurt someone like Michiko?" I fired. "The only things they're out to kill are Boomers! They're not assassins, or murderers! Yes, they're vigilantes, and they may break the law, but they're doing it to protect people like you and me!!" I sighed and held my stomach again; it was hurting like hell now. "Look, I know as much as you do about Micchan's disappearance, but I'll try to find out what happened. And I doubt she just ran away; you guys are great parents, and there's nothing to run away from! I'll try to find her, I promise."

"I'm…sorry for yelling," Michiko's mom said. "But my only child is missing, and…"

"I don't blame you for being upset," I said. "I'm upset too…"

"Where're you going?" Mr. Ishiodori asked when I started to head for the door.

"I'm leaving. Gotta go back to the hospital I ran away from," I joked. "You could say I've been AWOL all day!"

"Let me give you a ride, Yumeko," he offered. "Surely you can't get around in that condition."

"I appreciate the offer, but…I can get back by myself. I got myself here, right?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"I'll be going now. And I swear I'll find Michiko. And soon."

With that, I shut the door and went downstairs to catch another bus, one back to Sylia's building. The whole ride back, I kept praying that Micchan was ok. And if something had happened…I would have Boh's head. Michiko was the most charming, least violent person I knew; surely nobody would want to harm her…

Right?

"Yumeko!" I heard Linna yell once I got off the bus. I turned around and saw her running towards me. "Everyone's been looking for you! Where on earth have you been?!"

"Linna…" I moaned, the tears springing up in my eyes. I hugged her and said, "Michiko's missing. No one's seen her since the night Boh stabbed me. I…I hope she's ok…!" I started to cry.

"I…I hope she's ok too," she said, returning the hug.

"Why would anyone want to hurt her?" I cried. "She never did anything to anybody!"

"I know, I know… We'll find her, Yumeko. At least, we'll try to find her."

"We gotta! I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her because she…she…"

"She what?"

"She knows about me," I whispered. "She figured out I'm a Knight Saber. I hope she didn't get hurt because she got dragged into this mess!!"

"Well, let's go tell Sylia what's going on. Maybe she can help."

Linna led me upstairs to Sylia's penthouse, and sure enough, when we opened the door, Sylia, Mom, and Nene were all there. They all ran to us when they saw us walk in the door.

"Yume, where WERE you?!" Mom asked.

"Yumeko, you had us worried sick!" Nene said.

"Where did you run off to?" Sylia inquired.

"The school," I admitted. "Had to see if Boh was there."

"You went after him by yourself?!" Linna gasped.

"Yeah. And I heard that Michiko hadn't been seen since the night he stabbed me, so when I saw him, I confronted him about it."

"And?" Mom grumbled.

"And he denied everything. He said she was probably sick."

"That doesn't sound like the whole story," Nene sighed. "What else went on?"

"Um…well…he was pretty eager to kill me, but he didn't; he said a school wasn't a fitting place to settle it." I frowned as I recalled him saying that. "All he did was throw me against the lockers and hold my own knife to my throat." I rubbed my back. "Just got a few bruises, that's all."

"Yumeko, that was very dangerous," Sylia scolded, "especially in the condition you're in."

"Yeah, he did ask me if I dared to confront him knowing that he could kill me easily." I frowned again. "Boh considers this whole thing a game. And that's why he didn't kill me; he wants to keep this 'game' between him and me."

"Well, too bad," Mom said. "We're jumping in on this 'game' of his."

"That's not all, Mom," I said. "After that, I went to Michiko's apartment, and her parents said they hadn't seen her since that night either." I wiped away the tears from my eyes. "I just hope Boh didn't do anything to her…"

"There's already hell to pay for what he did to you," she said, frowning. "If anything happened to Michiko, I'll make sure somebody's head is gonna roll."

I smirked at the image of kicking around Boh's head like a soccer ball. But then, the reality of what was going on sank in, and I started to cry again.

Yep, heads were going to roll…and I was going to make damn sure that Boh's would be one of them.

* * *

Two more days passed, and it seemed to take forever for them to pass. Although Sylia had decided to let me and Mom go home instead of being holed up at her place, it didn't make things much easier. Every minute, I was listening for the phone to ring, hoping that it would be Michiko calling to say she was ok. But when it did ring, it was usually Sylia or the others. I was about ready to pull out my hair, I was so worried.

"She called yet?" Mom asked, five long days after Boh's attack on me.

"No," I cried, lying down on my bed. "Mom, what am I gonna do if something happened to her?" I grabbed my stomach and whimpered when it flared up in pain again. "It's gonna be my fault if anything's happened."

"You don't know that," she said.

"Yeah I do! I asked her if she needed a ride home, but she…she said she'd rather walk. If…if only I hadn't let her walk home…"

"It was her decision," Mom said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "And besides, if anything did happen to Michiko, how were you supposed to know it then?" She smiled. "C'mon, let me take you out for lunch. It'll get your mind off of this. I'm sure she's ok."

"But what if she calls…?"

"Just c'mon, Yume." She took me by the hand and led me out the door.

Mom took me to an outdoor café near Linna's aerobics gym and ordered us both a hot chocolate. While we both nursed our cups, Mom tried to get me to stop thinking about Michiko by talking about next year's Olympics.

"The trials are in May, right?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, they are."

"You been practicing on the bars at all?" I shook my head.

"No… I've just been working on warm-ups and the floor exercises, to help get my leg back in shape. I can't do the bars just yet."

"Well, I'll admit something to ya right now…" Mom smirked as she stirred her hot chocolate.

"Like what?"

"I could never do the uneven bars like you," she said, smiling. "Sure, I've been a Knight Saber for longer than you, but as far as physical stuff goes, you're more like Linna."

I smiled. "Well, I guess maybe it's because she's the one that trained me."

"And because I'm into singing instead of aerobics," she joked.

"I'm thinking that if I qualify for the Olympics, I'll—"

"If? You mean WHEN," she laughed.

I laughed as well, lightly holding my stomach. "Yeah, I guess! Well anyway, AFTER I qualify, I figure since the Olympics are in Nairobi, I'll go there a few months before they start so I can get used to the altitude."

"That's a good idea."

"Yeah, I think it'd be kinda hard to do those flips if I'm too busy wheezing for air," I joked.

A moment later, I heard a police car whiz by, sirens blaring. Mom and I turned to look at where it was going. It turned the corner and stopped shortly after.

"W…what do you think happened?" I asked aloud.

"Beats me," Mom said.

We sat there for the next few minutes afterwards, finishing our drinks in silence. It probably wasn't anything much; just one police car, right? Well, after I finished my drink, two more showed up, plus an ambulance. My body went numb.

"I gotta go see," I said nervously, standing up slowly.

"I'll go with you," Mom said. "Hopefully it was just someone that had a heart attack or something."

_But why would there be cop cars if it was just someone who had a heart attack?,_ I thought as Mom and I crossed the street and turned the corner to where a crowd was slowly forming. Several rumors were already going around about what the police were looking for in a nearby alley. One said it was a bunch of money from a bank robbery last week; another said it might've been a stash of drugs. But I knew better than to believe those; an ambulance wouldn't be here to take away some money.

"Get back, people!" a police officer shouted as another tried to secure the scene with some of that yellow police crime scene tape.

"M…Mom…?" I said, voice quivering.

"I'll ask 'em," she said, shoving her way through the crowd to the officers. I stood there anxiously while she questioned any officers she could get close to. She turned to try and get a peek in the alley, but ended up getting shoved away.

"What is it? What is it?!" I asked over and over when she returned. I gasped when I saw she was pale.

"Yume…" she started to say. She shook her head and took a breath.

"What is it, Mom?!"

"They said they found a body."

"Do they know who it is?"

"Listen, Yume. There's lots of murders in this town every day. Try not to panic just yet, ok?"

"But we're just two blocks from Linna's gym!! What if—" I was panicking by now, despite the fact Mom had just told me not to do that. But I couldn't help it! Michiko had been missing for five days now, and now that a body had been discovered…it just freaked me out to no end.

"I gotta go see," I mumbled, starting to shove my way through the crowd like Mom had just done. It wasn't exactly easy, what with my bad leg and my stab wounds and all. I grimaced the whole way, trying not to cry out or yell, and by the time I got to the crime scene tape, I was ready to drop to my knees in pain.

"Hey, mister!" I yelled, grabbing a passing officer. "Who'd they find in that alley?!"

"Sorry, kid," he mumbled, shoving me away.

"My friend's been missing the past five days! I need to know!!"

"I don't know who the girl in the alley is, ok?" he snapped, getting pissed. "I have a job to do." He walked back into the alley.

"Damn it!!" I cursed to myself. A minute later, I saw another officer emerge, and I yelled for him to stop.

"'Scuse me, officer," I said, "but do you know who the girl is you found?"

He shook his head in disbelief and wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Yeah, I do."

"Who is it?! Can you tell me?"

"Sorry, kiddo. Police business."

"PLEASE!!" I pleaded. "My friend's been missing for the past five days, and I'm worried about her!"

"Who's your friend?"

"Michiko Ishiodori!"

He paled and got a sorrowful look in his eyes. _Oh no…,_ I thought, slowly shaking my head when he didn't respond right away. _No…don't say it's true…_

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Your friend's gone."

It was like somebody had thrown a bucket of ice water on me; my body suddenly got cold, the shiver traveling from my shoulders to my feet. I musta heard that wrong…

"M…Michiko? She…she's not gone," I said, shaking my head. "She's not gone. No way! She was just helping me with my therapy the other day! She's not gone! Michiko CAN'T be gone!!"

"I'm sorry," the officer repeated solemnly, walking away.

Mom finally made her way back through the crowds and to me. "Did you find out who it was?" she asked.

"It's not her! It CAN'T be her!!" I yelled to myself, my body completely numb. Even as I watched the gurney being unloaded from the ambulance, I refused to believe it. Michiko…my best friend…she couldn't be dead! Not her!

"Yume…" Mom moaned, her eyes turning glassy.

"Mom, it can't be her!" I said, turning to her. "Michiko's still alive! She's gotta be! Maybe she just got hit on the head and forgot about me! Yeah, that's it!"

Mom just shook her head.

I turned to look back at the cops, and the gurney was being rolled out of the alley again, this time covering something with a white sheet. It couldn't possibly be Michiko under there…she was never so, so…still. But maybe, just maybe…she was just hurt. Yeah! That must've been it!

"You gotta help her!" I yelled to the people wheeling the gurney towards the ambulance. "She's hurt! Don't just cover her up!!"

"Sorry, kid," one of them said.

And then, something snapped. Something inside me just snapped. It was a feeling even worse than when I'd seen Linna and the others get beat up at the Boomer summit while I laid there helplessly.

Much worse.

"MICHIKO!!" I screamed, ducking under the police tape. I had to get to her, and now. I ran/limped towards the gurney, but several officers jumped to hold me back.

"Let me GO!!" I yelled, struggling to get out of their grip. "That's my friend!! Michiko!!" I had to resort to elbowing them in the faces to get them to let go of me. Once they did, I ran to the gurney and threw myself over the white sheet that supposedly had my best friend beneath it.

"Michiko, I'm here!" I said, tears in my eyes. But it felt so strange, hugging her like this; Michiko's body was never this cold, this stiff… "I'm here, Micchan…"

"C'mon, kid, let go," an officer said gently, pulling me away slowly.

"M-Michiko…" I moaned.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he said sadly as he led me back to Mom. Before I could get to her, though, I happened to take a glance down, and on the ground near the end of the alley was a broken chain. I picked it up, then suddenly, I recognized where it was from.

It was the chain from Michiko's necklace. And it was missing the amber heart that went with it.

"Michiko…no…" I said, clutching it in my hand.

"Yume, I'm…sorry," Mom said, not able to find any other words to say.

"She's dead…" I hugged Mom tightly and started to cry like I'd never cried, my whole body shaking with the sobs. "Michiko's dead…! She's dead!"

Mom returned the hug and held me tight. "I know."

"Why? Why did she have to die?!" And then, I just let it all out.

I had never had anyone close to me die before, unlike Mom. She was a veteran when it came to this stuff. Now, sadly, I knew how she felt. And Micchan…I'd never get to see her again. I'd never get to see her smile, or greet me when I arrived at school. I'd never be able to joke around with her, or sing with her, or even cry with her.

She was gone forever. And knowing that, my heart ached with loneliness.

Those few moments I'd spent with Mom, talking about the Olympics… Those were my last moments of bliss. And perhaps, she knew that, and just wanted me to have a few more minutes of innocence. Maybe deep inside, she knew Michiko was gone, and just didn't want me to know the pain that she knew so well.

But now I knew what that pain was like. And I could never go back to being innocent again.

* * *

The next three days after that were a blur; I couldn't even recall them. All I could think about was Michiko. She was always the bright spot in my day, the one I could always depend on to cheer me up. She was the one who helped me up when I fell, and kept me from going insane whenever I thought I'd never be able to walk again normally.

And now she was gone. The sun in my life, gone. Gone as if a supernova had occurred out of nowhere.

After I found out she was gone, aside from right afterwards, I hadn't cried at all; I was in total and utter shock. I just sat there and stared into space, my mind and body all numb.

"She's been like this for three days," I heard Mom say to Linna when she came by. "I don't know what to do for her."

"Yumeko just lost her best friend, Priss," Linna said. "Think about how you felt when Sylvie died."

Mom didn't answer, instead walking into my room. "Yume, Linna's here."

"Ok…" I said, gazing down at the pillow I clutched tight in my arms, almost as if I expected to see my reflection in it.

"Hey, Yumeko," Linna said, walking up to me and sitting down next to me on the bed. "Is that Michiko's necklace you have around your wrist?"

I gazed down at the chain; I had it wrapped around my wrist like a bracelet. I just had the need to keep it close to me, always. "Yeah… I got it for her for her birthday…"

"Is there anything you need to get off your chest? Anything at all?"

"I wish I hadn't let her walk home," I said softly, jumping slightly when I heard the thunder roar outside the bedroom window. "It was the one time she didn't ask for a ride home… Why didn't I make her ride with me?"

"Yumeko…there's no way you could've known what was going to happen. You can't blame yourself."

"It had to be Boh who did it… Who else could it have been? There's no way it could've just been a coincidence that she died and I was stabbed on the same night." Something had just occurred to me; Michiko's body was found only two blocks from Linna's gym, so…did that mean that Boh had killed her before going over to Linna's place and stabbing me?! But why? Why did he target her first? Had she…had she gotten in the way? Somehow learned about his plot, maybe?

"Sylia's suspecting it's Boh too," Linna sighed, "but there's no real proof that it was him that did it."

"Why did he kill her though? Is this a part of his stupid game too? Killing anyone that gets in the way, but only PLAYING with the real prey?"

"I don't know…"

Mom frowned and turned away; apparently she didn't want to think of it like that, though I'm sure she knew it was possible, too.

"I've known Michiko for so long…I can barely remember life before I met her."

"So this still doesn't seem real yet?"

"No, it doesn't… I can't imagine life without her…"

Even though I was only seven years old when I'd met Michiko, I remembered that day crystal clear. It was sometime in August '45, and she and her family had just moved to Tokyo from Shikoku. The teacher had introduced her to the class, and she had been very shy, always having her arms behind her back and looking at the ground when she spoke. The other kids treated her like an outcast, but me, I was more curious about this new girl than anything.

During recess, I was climbing on the jungle gym, and I saw her sitting in the sand underneath it, playing with a doll.

"Hey!" I called to her.

She looked up. "Huh?"

"Hi!" I waved at her.

"You're in my class, right?"

"Yeah! I'm Yumeko! You're Michiko, right?"

"Yeah."

I jumped down and sat down next to her. "I've been to Shikoku before. My mama had a concert there a little while ago."

Michiko's eyes widened. "Your mom? Who's your mom?"

"She's the singer for the Replicants band."

"You mean Priss from Priss and the Replicants?!"

"Yep!" I grinned impishly.

"That's COOL!!"

"You can meet her when she comes to get me after school if you want!"

We jabbered on for the rest of recess, Michiko asking a thousand questions about what it was like having Priss Asagiri for a mom, and what our favorite songs were. _Victory_ was a sentimental favorite of mine, and is to this day, but Michiko's favorite, even though Mom had released several albums since we met, was always _Itoshiki Rival_.

And as I sat there on that bed, wondering with Linna how I'd be able to live without her, several of the lyrics from that song ran through my head…

_Tooi goal ni tadoritsuku made ni (By the time people reach their distant goal,)  
__hito wa doredake itami o shiru no. (how much pain will they have come to know?)  
__Tabi no omosa ni kujike-soo na yoru (At night, when the weight of the journey has me feeling down,)  
__anata no egao itsumo omoidasu. (I always remember your smiling face.)_

Those lyrics certainly applied to how I was feeling now… The day Boh had stabbed me, August 18, 2055, was ironically the one-year anniversary of when I found out about Mom and the others being the Knight Sabers. I had agreed to join them, but at what cost?

I knew that there might be consequences, but now…there were permanent ones. At the price of helping to protect the city, I had lost a friend. Had this journey of being a Knight Saber really been worth losing Michiko over?

I suppose some would say I had reaped what I sowed.

* * *

The next day, I stood there listening to the radio while I was taking a shower. It wasn't very comfortable, what with my stab wounds and all, but I felt like I had to cleanse myself of everything that happened. As I scrubbed myself off with the loofah, I took care not to go too hard over my wounds; the water alone made them sting, let alone what the loofah would add.

"Hello there!" the DJ said. "Have a request?"

"Yeah!" a female caller answered. "I'm a big fan of Vision, especially her older songs! I was wondering if you could play _Never the End_ for me."

"No prob! Off of Vision's album _More Work to Do_, here is _Never the End_!" A second later, the music started, and I tried to ignore it. I just felt like I couldn't listen to that song right now. There were a lot of songs I couldn't stand to listen to, not at this point in time. I finally had to turn off the radio to keep from crying when the chorus started: "_Wasurenai Melody kuchizusamu kokoro de…ima yori mo motto kimi ga wakaru made…No, Never the End._"

I hastily turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and dried myself off. As I was pulling on a sweatshirt, I recalled something Michiko said during one of my last conversations with her… "_We…we still have a lot of living to do. We're not supposed to throw our lives away before they've even begun!_" Damn…I was the one going out with my mom and the others to fight Boomers, but she was the one that ended up getting killed. Not exactly what I had pictured; I had always imagined she would outlive me, and that was even before I joined the Knight Sabers. Michiko was the one that had everything going for her; she was the sweetest girl I knew.

Why did she have to be the one to die, and not me?! I was Boh's target, not her!

Or…was this another part of Boh's game? To torture me by murdering my best friend?

I pulled on some pants, the tears blurring my vision by now. As I stood up, I clenched my hand into a fist and squeezed my eyes shut. _Damn him for everything!_, I thought as I turned and slammed my fist into the bathroom mirror blindly, crying. I felt the blood run down my hand as I took it away from the mirror and opened my eyes again, but I ignored it, instead crying a bit more. No, I didn't really feel the pain, but I just felt I was helpless to do anything. Breaking the bathroom mirror didn't exactly help vent my pent-up anger, either.

And suddenly, I heard a knock at the door.

I jumped in surprise. Who was that?! I was certain it was Boh, coming to finish the job. That was the only thing on my mind right now. And so, I walked out of the bathroom slowly, trying not to make the floor creak with my every footstep. Shaking, I made my way to the kitchen, and grabbed the largest butcher knife available. I would've grabbed my gun, except, well, Boh had mangled it when he'd slapped it out of my hand.

I took one step at a time towards the door, my legs wobbling underneath me, I was so nervous. The moment I opened that door, I swore I was going to stab him right in the face, or whatever the knife hit when I'd bring it down on him.

"Yumeko, are you home?" I finally heard someone say from the other side of the door.

I dropped my knife. "S…Sylia…?"

I walked over to the door, undid the locks, and opened it. Sure enough, there stood Sylia, dressed in her usual lavender business suit.

"W…what're you doing here?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"I need to talk to you about something," she said. She saw the knife on the floor and asked, "What were you doing with that knife?"

"I thought you were Boh…"

Sylia nodded in understanding. "And your hand?"

I looked at it, just now noticing the pieces of glass that were embedded in my knuckle. "I…punched the mirror… I just can't stand this anymore!" I threw my arms around her and started crying. "It's my fault Michiko's dead!"

"Now now, calm down." Sylia closed the door behind her and walked to the cabinet to grab a bandage for my hand. "Before we talk, let me bandage up your hand."

After she picked the pieces of glass out of my knuckle and washed off the blood, she put some disinfectant on the cuts and wrapped the bandage around my hand. Once that was done, she beckoned me to sit on the couch next to her.

"Why do you think it's your fault Michiko's dead?" Sylia asked.

I snapped my head up in surprise; shouldn't it have been obvious?! "I didn't give her a ride home! If I'd given her a ride home, Boh wouldn't have had a chance to kill her! And…and…"

"And what?"

"I wish I hadn't joined the Knight Sabers!" I yelled, starting to cry again. "If I'd known Michiko was to die because I joined, I wouldn't have done it!!" I wiped the tears from my eyes. "I want my friend back…!"

"I can't help you there," Sylia sighed. "Anyway, I don't know if you want to hear this, but I had Nene look up Michiko's autopsy report…"

"You did? And?"

"Your stab wounds were more for the purpose of torture than for killing you quickly. But in Michiko's case, it's apparent that he wanted her to die, and fast. She was stabbed three times in the chest, as well as twice in the abdomen, so says the autopsy report. It also states that the abdomen wounds seem to have come first, followed by the chest wounds. One of the wounds to her chest struck her heart, so she probably didn't suffer."

"Says you!" I cried. "She suffered at least a little bit, if those stomach wounds DID come before the chest ones!" I shook my head to try to get the images of her in horrific pain out of my head. If she was going to die anyway, I would hope that she wouldn't have had to suffer at all. I'd said the same thing to Boh while he was stabbing me, to just get it over with.

"Sylia, do you…do you think maybe Michiko got wind of Boh's plans?" I asked.

"It's possible. But only Boh knows for sure." She sighed. "At least now we won't have to worry about the school now."

"What do you mean?"

"Boh withdrew from the school yesterday."

"He…withdrew?!" It made sense…his work was, for the most part, done; he needn't stick around any longer. Hell, hadn't he started attending Kihi as an exchange student or something anyway? He probably made up the excuse of saying his 'family' was sick of Tokyo already and 'decided to go back to Korea'. "Do you know where he is now?"

"I have an idea, yes."

"G…Genom Tower, maybe?"

"Probably. His mission isn't fully complete, so I doubt his memory has been erased yet."

"So he…might still be laying in wait for me?"

"Yes. But don't think about trying anything, Yumeko. The other Knight Sabers and I will take care of this."

"But I'm a Knight Saber too!"

"You're injured, and besides, you're the one he's after. It would only be giving him what he wants."

_But what about Mom?,_ I thought. _The guys at Genom might know who she is! Wouldn't it be dangerous for her to go too?_ But then again…if they did know she was a Knight Saber, then why hadn't they made a move?

"I don't…intend to live like this," I said, standing up. "I don't want to walk around having to watch my back every second. But…I want those sons of bitches to pay for killing Michiko. I can't just stand around and let Boh or Quincy or anyone else to get away with killing even one more person! A lot of people have died at Genom's hands, I'm sure…"

"You're right," Sylia said, gently putting a hand on my shoulder. "But we can't act with raw emotion. Priss has done that many times, and she'll tell you that on more than one occasion, she would've been killed if the rest of us hadn't been there to help."

"She said something about that happening when she fought Largo." I barely knew anything about Largo…just how powerful had he been? Mom had told me he was strong enough to make her faceplate break when he threw her against a wall, but other than that and the fact he had a Black Box in him, I didn't know anything about him.

I gasped.

"What is it?" Sylia asked.

"Those Boomers at the summit…they had Black Boxes in them, right?"

"Yes, but just the second one."

"Where was it?"

"In its stomach."

"Can it be put in anywhere else?"

"Cynthia had it located in her head. The Black Box from her was the same one that Largo had in his possession." She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

For a moment I wondered who the heck Cynthia was, but dispelled that from my mind for the moment. "I just…don't know that much about what you guys did before I joined the group. Linna, Nene, and Mom haven't told me much about what happened in the 2030's, and since I'm a Knight Saber too, I just want to be caught up."

Sylia smiled as she walked towards the door. "A lot happened before you were born. I'm sure it seems strange to think that anything happened at all before your existence. I was like that as a child too."

"Always thinking that all life began when you were born?" I asked, smiling softly.

She chuckled. "Yes."

As Sylia opened the door to leave, she said, "I want you to rest up, all right? Let us handle everything. Michiko did not die in vain, I promise that."

"I…I hope she didn't, Sylia…"

"If you need anything, or just want someone to talk to, you can call me."

"Ok…"

After she closed the door, I sat back down on the couch. It wasn't entirely true, me wanting to know what they'd done before I was born. I was more curious about the whole Black Box thing. _It's in its stomach, huh?,_ I thought. Sylia had told me not to try anything, but it was in my mind almost from the moment I found out Michiko was killed: I would go to Genom Tower and avenge her. And I figured if I faced the same type of Boomers that were at the summit, then I would have to know where the Black Box was kept.

I knew in general where in Genom Tower Quincy's office was; I'd snuck a peek of Nene doing some research the other day, and she had been looking at the Tower's floorplan. Quincy's office was somewhere around the 100th floor, if I'd read them right.

Mom, Sylia, and the others already had an assault planned out, but…this was all because of me. This was my fault. All this was only happening because I had joined the Knight Sabers. And as a result, I felt a need to rectify this myself. I knew exactly when I would go too, since now I had all the info I needed.

Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night, I would go to Genom Tower myself and kill Quincy. He'd put the whole city of Tokyo through over twenty years of hell. And to top it off, he was responsible, at least in part, for killing my best friend. It was personal now.

Ironically, Michiko had asked much the same thing during our last conversation… "_It scares me to death, knowing that for the past year, you've been going out with them and putting your life on the line. I used to think that…that only suicidal people would willingly go out and do things like that, but…_"

"_Maybe I'm suicidal_," I had said. "_But…at least I don't get to just kick back and watch Genom rain death on the people around here. I can DO something about it._"

And now I would.

Even if I died trying. It didn't matter to me anymore.


	8. Yumeko vs Genom

For most of the next day, I worked out as much as I could, preparing myself physically and mentally for my assault on Genom Tower. My wounds hurt like hell as I punched away at the punching bag, throwing in a few kicks too, but I knew that I would have to live with it; I knew this would probably be a suicide mission, and the pain I'd probably end up in would be far worse than this.

Mom, watching me on the sidelines, looked like she knew I was up to something, but didn't press it. Knowing her and what she'd been through, she was probably thinking I was just letting out my aggression, which wasn't entirely off the mark. It had been five days since I found out about Michiko's death, ten since Boh had stabbed me. And to be blunt, I was pissed.

Pissed. Fed up. Hell-bent on revenge. All of those terms fit me pretty well at the moment. I remember Mom had told me that the others could never understand why she always needed to go out and nearly get herself killed in the name of avenging someone. And she had told me that no matter how bad the wounds she sustained were, the emotional pain of having lost the person was so much worse. "It's probably why I lived through a lot of shit when anyone else would have died," she'd said.

And now, I understood why she thought that. None of the others had gone through what she had. Now I knew what she said had to be true. The pain of finding out my best friend of ten years was dead overrode the worst pain from my stab wounds, the pain from being shot through my leg, the pain from being slashed across the stomach.

And he would pay. What Boh had dealt to me and Michiko, I would make sure he got back twenty-fold. And what Quincy had dealt to Tokyo…I could never pay it back enough. But I guess shooting him through the head would have to do.

I almost chuckled at the thought of what Michiko would probably say. "What do you mean you're gonna kill Quincy?! That's insane!! You couldn't do it, you've never hurt anybody! …Except Eiji and anybody else that picked a fight with you, maybe…"

Ah, but that was exactly the point. Quincy, Boh – hell, Genom in general – had picked a fight, and I was going to answer the call. I wasn't going to let Sylia, Mom, Nene, and Linna fight this battle. It was mine, and I was planning on fighting it myself. I needed no one to do it for me. This was my fault, and I was going to rectify it.

Even though I knew today would probably be the day I die.

Going to Genom Tower on my own…even an idiot would've known it was a suicide mission. And I knew it wasn't going to be easy. But…even though I knew it was suicide, I wasn't planning on just letting them kill me; I was going to at least accomplish my objective first before going down.

Kill Quincy and Boh.

In late afternoon that day, as the sun was starting to set, I was at the elementary school playground where Michiko and I had first met, hanging upside-down on the monkey bars. As I just hung there, the blood rushing to my head, I just stared into space; was I really going to go through with this? One assignment we'd had in my eighth-grade class was to write what we would do if today was to be our last day alive. And as I hung there, I asked myself the same thing: was this how I wanted my last day on Earth to be? Didn't I want to do anything else? Was this how I planned to go out, in a blaze of glory?

I could still change my mind; nothing was definite, yet.

_No,_ I thought. _I have to do this. So nobody else will suffer anymore, not like I did._ Genom had wreaked havoc on the city for over twenty years; it just so happened that I only got fed up with it after they'd targeted my friend for death.

Life's a bitch, ain't it?

"God, you look like shit," I heard a familiar voice say. I opened my eyes and saw a guy standing there, gaping.

"What do you want, Masahiro?" I sighed.

"Just didn't expect to see you here. So what happened to your stomach?"

"It doesn't matter." I threw myself up and grabbed the bar my legs were wrapped around, let them hang down, then let go and dropped to the sand. My stab wounds started to sting horribly then, and I grabbed my stomach, whimpered, and fell to one knee; that movement probably wasn't the best thing to do at the moment.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked, bending down to touch my shoulder.

"Don't even come close!!" I snapped, still on one knee, grimacing in terrific pain. "Besides, what're YOU doing here?"

"Uh, I was just walking home. My bike broke down." Masahiro sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Say, um…are you ok? Y'know, about Michiko?"

"She was my best friend, how do you THINK I feel?!"

He frowned. "Geez, don't need to get bitchy about it!"

"Oh, shut up! You only miss her because you slept with her!!" I wobbled to my feet and swept my hair out of my eyes. "And if you think this is a good time to hit on me, you're dead wrong! This is not the right time! My friend's dead, and I've got stab wounds to keep me company in my misery. Don't try anything, or you're gonna get more than a knee in your balls!!"

He stepped back and put his hands in front of him. "Hey, ok! I believe ya!" He then raised an eyebrow. "Uh, you got stabbed?"

"That's what the marks are on my stomach," I said flatly as I marched to my motorcycle. "I'd rather not talk about it."

As I climbed onto my bike and pulled on my helmet, Masahiro had to ask one more thing.

"Look, Yumeko…I want you to be careful, ok?"

"Oh wow, you didn't call me 'baby-doll' for once," I remarked dryly.

"Hey, you think I haven't noticed all the shit you've been through these past months? I'm serious!"

"I appreciate your concern," I said, at the same time thinking, _Not really,_ "but I don't need you, of all people, worrying. God knows what's going through your mind." I started up my bike. "Oh, and tell Tsubasa to go to hell for me, ok?"

Before he could respond, I roared off and down the street. _See ya, not gonna miss ya,_ I thought almost gleefully. I'd told him to 'say hi' to Tsubasa for me because, well, I wasn't exactly planning to stop by his place and tell him so.

I had some planning to do…and some goodbyes to say.

* * *

When I got home, Mom seemed a bit distracted by something, which was a bit unusual for her. Sure, she worried about me a lot, but it was obvious that wasn't what was on her mind.

"Tsubasa came by while you were gone," she said, her hands on her hips.

"That's funny, 'cause I ran into Masahiro too," I said. "Why'd he come by?"

She sighed as her eyebrow twitched, turning her back to me. "Well…let's just say he came to send his regards about Michiko."

"His regards? What does he consider 'regards', saying 'Sorry about the kid, now would you hop into bed with me right here and now'?" I asked dryly. Mom frowned.

"…Something along those lines," she said, not elaborating. There was something else that happened, I could tell, but Mom didn't say what it was, and I decided not to push on it.

We sat down and had dinner, eating in total silence, Mom alone with her thoughts, and me alone with mine. More thoughts continued to race through my mind; was this going to be my version of the Last Supper? Was this going to be the last time that we'd be sitting down together at the same table? The thoughts were so rampant that the food seemed to lose all its flavor, and I lost my appetite. Mom looked up from her plate when she saw me push away mine.

"Not hungry?" she asked.

I stood up and walked over to her, and gave her a hug.

"Mom…I just want to say I love you," I said, trying not to get all emotional about it.

She slowly wrapped her arms around me and held me close. "I love you too, Yume," she said softly.

We just stood there and held each other for a moment; it wasn't often that we actually said it to each other. I guess we were two of those people that thought our love would be expressed through how we treated each other; why would we actually need to SAY it when we knew it to be true? But I knew this might be the last time for me to say it, and I had to get it out before it was too late.

It was just now I realized that anything can happen, at any time…and that I would have to say "I love you" as often as I could, for it might be the last words that person might hear from me before I die. With Michiko, other than saying bye, the last thing I'd told her was to not forget her English homework. Her English homework! Damn, how stupid of me to say something like that!

I wasn't making that mistake this time. I wanted the last thing Mom to hear from me to be "I love you," and not some crap about waking me up on time for school tomorrow or something.

I wanted her to know that I appreciated her for everything she did, despite the way I came into the world.

I wanted her to know she was loved. And that although sometimes she could be a bit overprotective, it was understandable; she didn't want me to go through the same things she did. And although she acted like that, I appreciated it.

And I wasn't going to go out and die without letting her know I loved her.

* * *

At midnight, I woke up. It was time to go on my mission.

I got dressed, pulling on a tube top, my leg sleeve, jeans, and my jacket. After pulling on my socks and shoes, I gently took Michiko's necklace off my desk and put it around my neck. A piece of her was going to be out there with me tonight.

I walked out to the kitchen with a piece of paper and a pencil, and sat down to write my farewell to Mom.

_My dear Mom,_

_I've decided to go out and avenge Michiko. I just can't take it anymore. I can't just sit back and let Genom or Boh or anybody hurt anyone else. I know that you and Sylia, and Linna and Nene, were planning an assault on Genom Tower, but this is a mess I made, and I feel obligated to clean it up myself. I listened in on your plans, even though you didn't think I was listening, and now I know how to carry out mine. I'm well aware that this is bullheaded of me to do, and I know full well that I'll probably end up dying in the line of duty, but that's part of the job description, isn't it? If I can prevent anyone else from suffering, it'll be worth it._

_But rest assured, if I'm going to go down, I'm not going to be taken down easily. I'm not going to just roll over and let them stomp on me, not like that Boomer did to me at the summit. I'm not just doing this for Michiko, although I admit she's the main reason I'm going out. I'm doing it for the people of Tokyo too, so they don't have to suffer. And I'm especially doing it for you. I love you, and I don't want you or the others to die because of something I started._

_I don't apologize for doing this, but I do apologize for causing you so much pain. Please give my regards to Sylia, Linna, and Nene. And tell Michiko's parents that she didn't die in vain. I will make sure of that._

_I will always love you, Mom. You know that. Thank you for taking care of me these seventeen years. Thank you for everything you've done. Thank you for letting me have the experience of being a Knight Saber and fighting alongside you and the others._

_And thank you for being my mom._

_I love you,_

_Yume_

By the time I finished writing, I found myself crying, several of the tears falling and landing on the paper. I quickly wiped them away from my face and stood up, walking to the bedroom. I stood there for a moment, looking at Mom, who was curled up in her bed, unaware of what I was going to do. The tears welled up in my eyes again, and this time I didn't wipe them away.

"Goodbye, Mom," I whispered. "I love you."

I turned and walked to the door, looking around at the apartment one last time before departing.

_I'll show them,_ I swore as I marched down the stairs and outside to my waiting motorcycle. _I'll show them that hell hath no fury like a Knight Saber scorned._

* * *

About halfway to Sylia's place, it started to rain. For a moment, it was déjà vu; it had been like this on the night Boh tried to kill me. And how appropriate that it would be doing the same thing on the night that I would return the favor.

After I reached her place, I walked through the hallway to the suit-up room. _We might as well settle this here and now,_ I thought as I started to strip my clothes. _This 'game' of yours will end tonight, Boh._ I started to take off my leg sleeve, but decided to leave it on; I would probably end up needing it. I decided to keep Michiko's necklace around my neck too, it would be under my innerwear, but I wanted a part of her with me if anything was to happen.

After I fastened the back of my innerwear, I walked over to my hardsuit, but before I stepped into it, I just stood there for a minute, gazing at it. This could very possibly be the last time I was to don it; was I ready? I took a breath, then stepped into the suit. I flinched when the stomach armor closed itself over me, but the pain subsided after a few seconds. After making sure my flight wings and everything were in working order, I walked over to my jacket and took out something I knew I'd need: the last of my morphine. I figured if I got hurt bad, then maybe it would numb that pain up so I could fight better…or maybe I was just being wishful. Either way, I dropped a few drops of the morphine on my tongue and swallowed it, hoping for the best.

I put on my helmet, then walked to the enclosed garage, where my Motoslave, in its motorcycle form, was being kept. I started it up, letting it run for a second, then said aloud, "Well, Monsoon, this just might be our last ride. I hope you're up to it." I sighed and smirked. "Let's do this thing."

And with that, I started on my journey to Genom Tower.

But first, there was a place I needed to stop by at, to pay my respects.

Being that Sylia's building was smack-dab in the middle of downtown Tokyo, I had to drive for a little while, but considering where I was going, it didn't really matter to me. I drove for about fifteen minutes before reaching Yokohama Memorial Cemetery, and when I reached the iron fence, I parked my motorcycle and jetted over the fence.

In the middle of the cemetery, there was a clustering of cherry blossom trees, and underneath one of the trees was the headstone that marked Michiko's grave. I landed near one of the trees, and after scanning for anybody that might be nearby, I walked slowly to my friend's grave and knelt down in front of it, taking off my helmet. The pouring rain started to drench me, but I paid no mind to it.

"Hi, Michiko," I said, my voice shaking; what exactly was I supposed to say? "It's me, Yumeko. I was on my way to Genom Tower, but I figured I should stop by here first. Y'know…I always thought that…that you would outlive me. Die an old woman, asleep in her bed, comfortable." I sighed and tried not to let emotion overwhelm me, but it was hard; this was my dead friend I was talking to. "And me, well, with how I am, I guess I figured I would die like Evel Knievel or something; isn't being a Knight Saber pretty much the same thing as being a daredevil, anyway? I didn't think it would ever end up like this, no way.

"Well, um, anyway, I'm going to Genom Tower to get rid of Boh, and hopefully Quincy too. I'll never forgive them for what they did to you. I was their intended target, so…so I dunno why they went after you instead. And well…uh, when we last talked, I remember you saying that the Knight Sabers are just a small group, and what could we possibly do to bring Genom down? The Knight Sabers may be a small group, but I'll personally show Genom what just one of us can do."

I heard a clap of thunder, but I didn't flinch; for what was going to transpire tonight, it seemed appropriate. "I know this is going to be suicide, and I'm not going to make any promises about whether or not I'm going to come out alive. I didn't promise anything to Mom, and I didn't promise anything to anybody. We're all going to die eventually; I figured that out the hard way, several times. I guess I should just say that…that…" I wiped the tears from my eyes. "…That if things go as I expect them to, then we'll be together in a little while. It's so hard trying to carry on living without you, Michiko!" I put two of my fingers to my lips, then pressed them against Michiko's headstone. My vision was now so blurred with tears that I couldn't even read the inscription on it. "It'll be all right soon. This'll be over soon, but whether it'll be over for me or for them, I don't know. I guess I'll find out in about half an hour or something like that."

I sighed and brushed my soaked bangs out of my eyes, still kneeling on one knee. "No more tears tonight… This is probably going to be my final battle, so whatever happens, I'm not going to cry and beg for my life or anything. Whatever will happen, will happen…

"Oh, remember that essay we had to write in our literature class, about our views on fate? I wrote that we control our own lives, and I still believe that now. This fight hasn't been pre-scripted by the powers that be; me and Boh are going to control it, and I'm going to try and turn it in my favor. But if I end up killed, then that's what's going to happen… I'm not scared of death anymore; I think I can face it knowing that I fought my hardest, and that you will not have gone unavenged…"

"Who's there?!" I heard a voice call out. I turned and in the dark, I saw a light; it was a security guard with a flashlight, heading towards me. I brushed my bangs out of my eyes again, then stood up and put my helmet back on.

Once the guard reached me, he shined his flashlight on my torso, then gaped and slowly raised the light until it was practically shining in my eyes. "You're…you're a Knight Saber!" he gasped.

I merely nodded.

"What's a Knight Saber doing in a place like this?!"

"I just came to visit a friend," I sighed, gazing at Michiko's headstone again. "But you don't need to call for backup or anything. I was just leaving anyway."

"W…wait a sec!" he stammered.

I didn't wait for him to finish what he was going to say; instead, I punched him in the face, making him crumple to the ground, unconscious. I couldn't have anybody in my way, and besides, it wasn't like I was going to kill him; he'd probably be awake in about another hour. I bent down and turned off his flashlight, apologized, then opened up my flight wings and jetted away, flying over the trees and the iron fence before landing next to my motorcycle.

"Ok, Genom Tower, here I come," I said aloud as I took off on my bike again.

I got on the highway and headed east towards the looming tower. My heart pounded as the full realization of what I was going to do started to sink in. I was really going to storm Genom Tower? By myself?! Just how crazy was I?! Well, it didn't seem too crazy to me; I didn't want my friend to have died for nothing. Genom was after me to begin with, and here I was, coming right at them. They wanted me, they were gonna get me.

Once I passed a sign that indicated I was in district 4, I knew that was my cue. I opened up my flight wings and leaped off my motorcycle and into the air, at the same time bringing up Auto Motoslave Mode on my HUD. In a matter of seconds, Monsoon had changed into its Motoslave form. It jetted up into the air, and I deactivated my wings and went falling down, landing on its shoulders.

"Ok, we're going to the west side of Genom Tower, Monsoon!" I ordered. "You gotta take me up to about the 100th floor, then blast a hole through the wall so I can get in and give that bastard a piece of my mind!" _And a few discs through the head, too,_ I thought sardonically.

* * *

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes; didn't seem like I could go to sleep and stay that way. The last few nights had been like this. I yawned and looked over at Yume's bed, and was about to crawl out of my bed when I had to take a second glance. Yume's bed was empty.

I didn't think much of it as I stepped out of bed, stretched and yawned again, and shuffled to the kitchen to grab something to drink. I figured maybe she got up and did the same thing I was doing now, and passed out asleep on the couch while watching TV or something. But that wasn't it at all. When I went into the living room, the TV was off, and there was no Yume on the couch. I went into the kitchen, and she wasn't there either. There was nothing there except a piece of paper and a pencil on the table.

I bent down and started to read. The moment I saw those first three words – _My dear Mom_ – I knew it wasn't going to be good. And by the time I finished reading the note, I was trembling. My daughter was going on a mission of revenge and not expecting to come back alive! How was I supposed to react to that?!

"What does she think she's doing?" I whispered to myself, dropping the note. I just stood there in shock for a moment, then raced to my bedroom to throw on some clothes. _She's lost her freakin' mind!!,_ I thought as I yanked on my boots, grabbed my jacket, and ran out the door and down the stairs to the parking lot. Me, I knew that losing a friend could make you do some stupid things, but this…was just plain INSANE!! I admit I tried that very stunt after Sho's mom had died, but Sylia had been there to stop me from doing it; I realized later it was a stupid idea.

But no one was there to stop Yume. And I knew if I didn't stop her, she was very well going to get killed.

I ran out into the pouring rain, helmet in hand, when I happened to look up towards Genom Tower. Even though it was raining hard, I could still make out the silhouette of the tower…plus a grey plume of smoke coming from one of the higher floors. It took a moment for it to sink in; it could've been just from the fact I was still half-asleep, but when I rubbed my eyes and looked up again, the sight was still the same.

"Oh dear God, she's actually doing it," I said to myself, gaping.

* * *

Finally, after all this time, I was face-to-face with the man behind all of the Boomer rampages. The guy that wanted me picked off. The person I was sure that had sent out Boh to spy on me and kill me.

Quincy, Genom CEO.

"Hello there, purple Knight Saber," the old man greeted me with when I stepped into his office through the hole in the wall Monsoon had blasted. "At last, I get to meet you."

"I didn't come here to chat," I spat at him. "But…I do want to know a few things before I kill you."

"Kill me?" A smirk started to form on his lips. "Why, Yumeko Asagiri, what makes you think you can do that?"

My body jerked when he uttered my name. "Just shut up. First, I want to know how the hell you know my name!"

"If you want me to be honest, I'll tell you how I know you're the newest Knight Saber. I've known it since March. Since the summit. Remember anything about the summit?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I inquired, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I only got shot in the leg and had a Grade IV liver laceration. Nothing really worth remembering."

"Oh, I think you'll remember this." He pressed a few buttons on his desk, and on the opposite wall, something like a TV screen appeared. "You'll be able to see it much clearer on the Multivision."

The screen was fuzzy for a moment, then appeared what seemed to be some kind of surveillance footage. In the corner was the date 16 March 2055 – the date the two Boomers stormed the summit. I gulped, then the footage appeared, a bit grainy of course, but clear enough that I recognized the inside of the convention center. There was no sound accompanying the footage, which I thought was a bit strange, but that thought was quickly dispelled from my mind when I saw what part of the attack this particular clip was showing.

I recognized myself in the footage, standing there in a fighting stance while Mom and Nene stood nearby, looking at me. And then, out of nowhere, the Boomer's lasersword came down on me, and I blocked it with my own. The battle from the Boomer's view suddenly jerked for a moment, and then I remembered why – that was when Mom had kicked the Boomer with her Leg Bombers. After a moment, the view returned to normal, then the Boomer brought its sword down on me again, and this time I blocked it using both of mine. I saw the Boomer kick me in the stomach, then raise its sword and…and swipe me across the stomach.

My body jerked as I recalled that, but now that I was seeing it from a different view, I realized just how bad it had been. From the Boomer's view, I could see the blood quickly staining the stomach armor on my suit, and me stumbling back with my arm to the wound to stem the blood flow. Then, the Boomer charged towards me and decked me in the face. I gasped as I saw the glass of my faceplate shatter and my face became exposed.

"You look as if you don't recall that," Quincy muttered, eyeing me as I watched the clip.

_So that was when my faceplate was broken,_ I thought, my body having gone numb. "The hell I've gone through since that night…it's been because of that one moment, am I right?" I mumbled. "But what made you think it was me? The red eyes and brown hair?"

"You've heard of face prints, right?"

"Yeah."

He smirked. "Simple. I compared the face print I have of you at that moment to the ones I have on file of everyone in Tokyo, and the name Yumeko Asagiri came up as a match. It's impossible to say it wasn't you; no two people have the same face print."

I felt a drop of sweat run down the side of my face; he knew everything. Every damn little detail about me. I'd been screwed over since the very beginning.

"One thing I want to know before I kill you…before the Boomers started to come out again, a female Combat Boomer ambushed me and tried to kill me. You'd probably know something about that, right?"

Quincy smirked again, which confirmed my thoughts.

"Well…why did you send it after me if I didn't know anything at the time?"

"First, answer me this," he said, his hands folded over his desk. "What makes you think you could possibly kill me? Why did you come by yourself?" He smiled, which unnerved me a bit. "Ah well…like mother like daughter."

"W…what do you mean?" I asked hesitantly, my voice shaking.

"Your mother came to Genom Tower on her own once. She fought Largo. You've heard of him, right?"

I nodded slowly.

"Do you know she was a mere child of nineteen when she and him fought? Very interesting. And here is her whelp, at age seventeen, attempting the same thing."

"W-what makes you think my mom is a Knight Saber?"

"Anybody with a brain would realize that if you were a Knight Saber, then wouldn't her own mother know about it? Or, even better, be one herself?"

I said nothing.

"Do you want proof?"

"You have none. You're bluffing." I had said that, but in reality, I was trembling in my hardsuit. This would explain everything!

"Oh, am I?" he asked curtly. "Watch the Multivision and see for yourself."

I turned to look at the screen again, and another clip had come up; this one was dated 5 March 2033. The other clip had been from a Boomer's viewpoint, but from the looks of this one, it was obvious the footage was from a security camera. To the left, I saw something get blown out through the wall, and I gasped as I recognized the blue hardsuit falling to the next level below. I watched as Mom pulled something out of her shoulder, flung it away, and stood up, fist clenched. Quincy tapped a few buttons, and the clip froze; after tapping a few more, it zoomed in on the hardsuited person's face, and the moment I saw those red eyes and the determined look on her face, I knew it was Mom.

So he'd known all along. For the past twenty-two years, he'd known Mom was the blue Knight Saber. But why hadn't he made a move? And suddenly, it was clear now. It was clear why that female Boomer had come after me and not her…

Quincy had been planning on sending out Combat Boomers again, and he might have suspected the Knight Sabers were just waiting for them to come out again. And he didn't want anybody to help them, so…he sent out that female one to kill me.

That was why Mom hadn't answered when I'd asked her if anyone else knew about her identity.

Because she had suspected this same thing.

"You son of a bitch," I growled, snapping my head in his direction.

"No need for curses now," he said matter-of-factly, grinning widely. "It appears you've been doomed since before you were even born. This was all laid out before you were even conceived. What does it matter to you now?"

I stomped over to the front of his desk and glared at him for a moment. After a brief tense-filled silence, I grabbed Quincy by the hair with one hand and shoved my beam cannon in his face with the other. "I was a perfectly normal kid until that night! My life has been hell since then!!" I snapped, feeling like I was going to go crazy. "No, wait, correct me on that. It's been a real hell ever since the Boomer summit! And ever since Boh stabbed me and killed Michiko, I've been really living it! My life didn't go to hell in a hand basket, no. It was already there from the moment I took a step into that convention center!"

"And?" the old man asked casually.

"You've made my life hell. You made mine hell while in the same breath taking away Michiko's. And I'm not going to let you get away with it!!"

"You're shaking," he noted, smirking. "You don't have the guts to shoot me, do you? That's fine. You're human, I suppose it's a natural response."

"Then how do you explain what YOU'VE done to the people of Tokyo over the years, huh?! Only a cold, heartless bastard like yourself could kill innocent civilians day in and day out and not bat an eye about it. You're not human! You're even crueler than a Boomer! I don't even know what to consider you!!"

"So are you going to shoot or not?" he asked, practically daring me to do it.

"How does it feel to stare down the barrel of a beam cannon? I don't know how many times I have, but it's about time you knew the feeling of knowing that whatever breath you make at this moment could be your last." I took a breath. "It's about time the people of this city were done dealing with the likes of you. I know I am." I squeezed my eyes shut, gritted my teeth, and fired. I had been holding him by the hair, so when I fired, I felt him jerk backwards violently. I stood there for a moment, then released him, letting his body drop to the desk. I opened my eyes and looked down at him; his head was pretty much a bloody mess that looked like it had white hair on top. But there was something else too…

Metal?

"WHY YOU--!!" I screamed, spinning around to the Multivision when I heard his laugh a moment later. "You bastard, you couldn't even face me YOURSELF?!"

"Stupid child!!" he laughed, grinning widely and looking down his nose at me. "You cannot kill me!!"

_I got tricked! I don't believe this!!,_ I thought, feeling positively stupid.

"You really thought it would be that easy? Big mistake, girl. And your last!!" He turned his eyes towards the wall. "Boh?"

I turned to where Quincy had been looking at, and when I did, I saw a panel open, and through it stepped Boh. I frowned when I saw him.

"About time you showed up," I grumbled. "You're the real reason I came here, anyway." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Multivision was now turned off. It was almost a relief; at least I wouldn't have to hear Quincy's laugh anymore.

"I've been detecting you for the past fifteen minutes," he said casually. "Didn't bring your friends to help you?"

"I don't need them. You're a rat, and I'm the exterminator, here to get rid of you." If that wasn't reminiscent of what the Boomer had said to me before shooting me in the leg, I didn't know what was. "It's cleanup time."

Boh smirked. "Why did you come, anyway?"

"You killed Michiko. And I'm here to make sure her death wasn't for nothing!"

"She was in the way," he said, that smirk pasted to his face. "She would have ruined our game. What else was I supposed to do?"

_So he admits it,_ I thought. "Shut up! She was my best friend, the only person who really knew me! If I was your real target, why the hell did you kill her instead?! Just to torture ME?!"

"Oh, trust me, I was trying to kill you. But Miss Yamazaki interfered. She's the only reason you're still alive. I thought I told you that." He started to walk towards me. "Oh well, you're here, so we can continue now. There's no one to interfere here."

My scanner picked up something else behind Boh, and when I looked to see what I was detecting, Boh took a glance in that direction, too. "Ah, I see you noticed I brought some friends of mine. Ok, you two, come out."

From the same panel in the wall that Boh had stepped out of came two Boomers, and I gasped when I saw them both.

"They…they look like…!!" I gasped, starting to shake. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but to no avail. There was no way!!

"Yes. They look just like the two Boomers you fought at the summit. They were designed that way deliberately. Bring back any memories?"

The two Boomers just stood there, glaring at me. I stood my ground, trying not to appear too scared. I was fighting them again! I'd barely won against just the first one by myself, could I really take on both of them at the same time?!

"Don't worry, Yumeko," Boh said, grinning. "I won't let them rough you up too much. I want the privilege of killing you myself."

"This is OUR fight!" I snapped. "Are you going to have those two bastards fight it for you or what?!"

"Oh, they're just going to have some fun with you, that's all."

I sighed and grumbled under my breath. Fun, he said… "If we're going to fight, let's not do it in here. It's too small of a place to fight in."

He grinned again. "I agree. How about we go outside through the new exit you made, hmm?"

I turned and ran towards the hole in the wall and leaped out, activating my thrusters to make sure I would land on the next level of the Tower ok. The two Boomers followed, one landing on each side of me, about fifteen meters apart from me each.

"I believe this is where your mother fought Largo all those years ago. How appropriate, eh?" Boh called down to me as I looked back up at him.

I didn't answer.

"Not very talkative, are you? Well, anyway, this is your last chance to run away if you want to live…for another day, at least. Still going to fight?"

I popped out the lasersword on my right arm and glared up at him, only mumbling one thing before this battle would start.

"Shall we dance?"

* * *

"This kid's gone NUTS, I swear it!!" I kept saying to myself as I approached Sylia's place. And if I heard any smart-ass comments from Linna or Nene once they heard about this, I swore I was going to strangle them.

Once I reached the Lady 633 building, I leaped off my bike, tore off my helmet, and ran inside and down to the suit-up room as fast as I could. I wasn't going to let Yume get killed if I could help it!! _What does she think she's doing? She knows it's suicide, but she's doing it anyway!!_, I thought. That was one of the things that I kinda wished she didn't inherit from me…

When I reached the door to the suit-up room, I practically slammed my hand onto the fingerprint scanner. Once it scanned my fingerprints, it said "WELCOME, PRISS" on it, then the door opened. I just started to run through when I saw my three friends all looking at me.

"You…you guys know?" I asked, panting.

"Well, the smoke from Genom Tower sorta gives it away, doesn't it?" Linna asked dryly.

"Not to mention the missing hardsuit and Motoroid," Nene added.

"Priss, were you planning to go out on your own to go stop Yumeko from getting herself killed?" Sylia inquired.

"I would've let you know even if you weren't already down here before me," I said, shaking my head.

"Uh-huh," Nene said, not quite believing me.

I frowned and marched over to her, grabbing her by the shirt. "This is my seventeen-year-old daughter we're talking about!!" I yelled at her. "It's not going to do any good if I get killed along with her because I went on my own!!" I dropped her and took out the note that Yume had written to me, and Sylia took it and read it aloud to the others.

"She's gone nuts," Linna mumbled, paling after Sylia was done reading it. "What makes her think this is all her fault?"

"I don't think she wants us caught up in what she thinks is 'her' mess," I grumbled. "Dammit, it wasn't her fault her faceplate got broken!!"

"It wasn't her fault Michiko was killed either," Nene agreed.

"Well, there's only one thing to do, and that's to go save her from herself," Sylia said, walking over to her hardsuit. "We need to hurry."

Linna, Nene, and I just nodded and started to change into our innerwear. _Yume, what do you think you're trying to do?!,_ I wondered.

* * *

For this only being the second time in the past five months I'd been in a battle, I was faring pretty well. Maybe it was because I'd fought these two types of Boomers before, even though they'd very nearly killed me the first time. Or maybe it was just because Boh wouldn't let them kill me, wanting that privilege for himself. Either way, for the moment, I had the upper hand.

As the black Boomer – the one that I recalled had no built-in weaponry in it – charged at me, I leaped over it, did a flip in the air, and kicked it in the back of the head with my Leg Bombers. At the same moment I landed on the ground, it turned around and charged again, and as it swung its fist at me, I ducked it and fired two of my discs through its chest. _This guy hasn't changed one bit,_ I thought as the Boomer stumbled back, growling. _Same old sloppy tactics._ This Boomer I knew I could handle ok, but it was the other one that worried me.

Practically on cue, the other Boomer ran at me and popped out its lasersword. For a brief moment, I had the image in my mind of it slashing me across the stomach from those five months ago, and I backed away. But when it was only feet from me, I popped out my own lasersword and parried the Boomer's as it came bearing down on me. While I was struggling to hold it back, I heard the black one regain its composure and come charging again from behind me. I grinned and leaped into the air just as the black one arrived, and the two Boomers almost hit each other, but stopped and looked up at me as I was in the air.

"Damn, almost had 'em fighting each other!" I said with mock disappointment, grinning as I landed again.

"Heh…she's gotten better," I heard Boh mutter as he made his way down to the level where the Boomers and I were.

_That Boomer did that same move on me before slashing me,_ I thought. _No way was I gonna fall for it twice!_

The black Boomer came at me again, but this time I just stood there and let it come. But instead of throwing a punch like it did before, it swung up its leg at me, and I gasped in surprise as I jumped over it. At that same moment, the other Boomer flew towards me, lasersword ready. I landed and immediately had to jump back as it swung the lasersword at me, barely missing my head. I stood back, bracing for their next move, when I felt blood start to run down the right side of my face.

"Whoa…TOO close!!" I remarked as the Boomer held up its sword again; the tip of it had my blood on it. I raised a hand to my helmet and felt the slash mark in it. Too close for comfort!

"You're lucky you jumped back, girl!" the Boomer growled, sneering. "You're pretty good for someone who was crippled a few months ago!!"

"Crippled?" I smirked and shook my head, wagging my finger at it. "Never call me a cripple!!" I started to run at the Boomer, who then opened up its chest and fired its heat cannon at me. I opened up my flight wings and flew over the blast, taking to the air. The Boomer looked up and followed suit, activating its jumpjets and giving chase. As it fired its mouth cannon, I flew out of the way and took aim with my MDD, firing a few discs, which went through the Boomer's chest. Not much to my surprise, it still kept going. I deactivated my wings, and as I came down, I popped out my lasersword, ready to cut the Boomer to pieces, when out of nowhere, I felt something slam into my back. I yelped in surprise; musta been the black Boomer. Before I could recover, the other Boomer kicked me in the stomach, sending me hurtling down to the ground and skidding for a ways on my back before finally coming to a stop.

"S-shit!!" I cursed through gritted teeth as I tried to sit up, only to fall back down on my back again, groaning in pain. The pain in my stomach…it was like I was being stabbed all over again. I could feel the wounds start to bleed again. _They must've…opened up again!!,_ I thought grimly.

"Ha!!" Boh laughed, his arms crossed over his chest. "Your stab wounds giving you some trouble, Yumeko? Maybe you should've let them heal up before coming here!"

"Shut up…!" I groaned. For once, he was probably right…

The Boomers landed on the ground nearby, and strangely enough, just stood there, almost letting me have time to get up before attacking again. I slowly wobbled to my feet, holding my stomach with one arm while popping out the lasersword on my other. It was then I looked down, and gasped when I saw a long streak of blood, leading from where I landed up to where I was standing now. At the same time, I felt a dull pain in my back, up near my shoulder.

Boh merely smirked at my reaction. "Nasty wound there," he remarked.

_I gotta finish this quick,_ I thought, even though the fight had only been going on for a few minutes.

"C'mon, I can take you all on!!" I challenged, at the same time signaling for Monsoon. "You guys are holding back, I can tell!! You were so much tougher than this at the summit!!"

"We're not quite the same ones that you fought there," the Boomer with the lasersword said, taking aim and firing at my feet. I leaped in surprise; the blast had left a small crater in the ground. _Geez, if that thing had hit me in the leg like it did before, I'd be screwed!,_ I thought, blood as well as sweat trickling down the side of my face.

"That does it," I grumbled, getting into a fighting stance. The Boomer and I charged at each other, me with my lasersword, the Boomer with, well, its mouth cannon, from what it looked like it was gonna do. It opened up its mouth to fire, and then I heard the black Boomer come up behind me. I smirked, then dropped down and did the splits on the ground, at the same time firing discs from both arms through their heads. While they were left reeling, I leaped up and rammed the sword Boomer in the stomach with my Knuckle Bomber, but I didn't stop there.

I shoved my hand deeper into the Boomer's gut, feeling around. And then, I felt something solid and hard. I grinned as I grabbed it, then tore it out of the Boomer.

"Is this the infamous Black Box?" I asked, holding it up to the Boomer while grinning widely. I threw it to the ground, then I raised my foot and with one stomp, crushed it.

"Damn you!!" the Boomer growled.

Boh looked impressed.

"Now I think I can say the fight's fair," I quipped. "I don't have access to one of those satellites, and I figured it'd be fair if you didn't either. Anymore, anyway." My stomach wounds started to sting, and I winced and put a hand to my stomach.

Monsoon arrived at that moment, and I added, "Ok, NOW the fight's fair. Two-on-two. How's that sound?"

I was interrupted when I heard the black Boomer come at me again from behind. I turned around and with one swipe of my lasersword, cut its arm off, from the elbow down. It swung its other fist at me, and I took to the air again to avoid it. The Boomer followed, using its jumpjets. From up here, I could see Monsoon fighting the other Boomer, and I grinned. That Boomer, however, didn't seem too content with fighting my Motoslave, and fired its mouth cannon up at me. I barely dodged the blast, and then the black Boomer came up and hit me in the upper arm. I screamed as I felt a bone break, then quickly deactivated my flight wings and landed on the ground again.

"Hmph, quicker than I thought, I'll give you that," I mumbled as I rubbed my arm. "Lucky hit though, that's all it was."

The black Boomer landed and growled. "You will die this day!" it fired at me.

"I think not. Boh won't let you," I quipped, firing two discs at it. The Boomer's body jerked as they went through its stomach, and as it tried to recover, I opened my wings and took to the air again. I pushed them as hard as I could so I could get higher up in the air. After going up about one-hundred or so meters, I suddenly deactivated them and decided to take a free-fall.

The Boomer looked up and saw me coming down hard and fast towards it, and activated its jumpjets and headed up. _That's right, come to me,_ I thought gleefully as I popped out my lasersword. When the Boomer was about twenty meters from me, I raised my lasersword above my head, ready to cut it in half. I was using my broken arm, so I bit my lip, knowing this was going to hurt. Right when the Boomer was close enough for me to see it open its mouth, ready to fire its mouth cannon, I swung my sword down and cut into its head, and as I continued to fall, ended up cutting the bastard in half.

It didn't all go so smoothly, though. I was down to its stomach when, in a last-ditch effort to beat me, it thrust its remaining fist into my stomach. I screamed as I was sent crashing into the ground below, again, bouncing once I hit it.

"There goes…two of my ribs," I groaned, half-joking, wincing as I put a hand to my side, which was throbbing to no end now. I started coughing, and could taste the blood in my mouth. "Shit…"

"You're in over your head, Yumeko," I heard Boh say. My eyes fluttered open, and through blurry vision, I saw him walking towards me. I tried to get up, but fell back down again, the pain throbbing through my whole body.

"Damn…you…" I groaned as the blackness started to cover me again.

As I passed out, his only response was a satisfied smirk.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't at Genom Tower anymore. I was floating alone in a black void. I looked around, wide-eyed. How had I gotten here? This seemed just a little too familiar for comfort…

"If I'm floating to heaven again, I'm gonna hurt somebody," I swore, folding my arms over my chest.

"Why would you do that?" I heard a voice ask. I turned around and saw a familiar girl walking towards me.

"N…no way," I gasped. "M-Michiko…"

"Hi," she said, grinning. "Yumeko, what are you doing?"

"Uh, well, I WAS fighting, but…then I ended up here."

"You don't want to fight anymore," she said, putting a hand on my shoulder and shaking her head. "You'll just end up dead."

"I know that! That was a risk I was willing to take! It's not like I'm not gonna die sometime anyway."

"Oh, Yumeko, always the stubborn one." I raised an eyebrow; something didn't seem quite right about Michiko here…

"I'm sorry for…for not protecting you," I said sorrowfully. "I should've made you get a ride home with me. If I hadn't let you walk home, you'd still be alive. I was the one that was supposed to die, not you! You…you were least deserving of this position!" I wiped the tears from my eyes.

Michiko just smiled. "You're right. It is your fault."

"Huh?"

"You should've known this would happen. You always had me get a ride home with you, and this one time I wanted to walk home, you decided to let me do it instead of forcing me to get a ride. Because of you, I'm dead."

"M-Micchan…!!"

"You let Boh throw my body in the dumpster in that alley like a piece of trash. And on top of that, you took my necklace. That's not like you, Yumeko."

"I…I only took the necklace as something to remember you by!" I protested, eyes wide. This definitely wasn't like Michiko…

"You took some of my CDs from my bedroom too…"

"Hey now!" I grumbled. "I can explain that! Your mom was going through your things and wanted me to take some of them, since she figured that would be what you'd want. You cherished my mom's CDs like nothing else, so I took those. What's so wrong about that?"

She sighed. "Well, if you wanted them so much, you could've asked for them while I was still alive."

"We borrowed each other's CDs all the time! You know that!" _This isn't Michiko,_ I thought. _It's not… This isn't the girl I was best friends with…_

"Why did you become a Knight Saber?" she suddenly asked. "You said that they said they needed somebody young and full of energy to help them out, but…maybe they just needed cannon fodder for the group."

"Say what?!"

"Somebody for the Boomers to pound on while they did the real work. Oh well, whatever you want to do is fine. I can't tell you any different. Oh, and isn't Priss a Knight Saber too?"

"M-Mom?"

"Who else?" she quipped. "I figure if you're a Knight Saber, then she must be one, too. Talk about a family business. Hmm…"

"What now?" I inquired, now very suspicious.

"Do you suppose it's fate that made you a Knight Saber like she is? Like mother, like daughter? It must be. What else would it be?"

And suddenly, something clicked in my head. This definitely wasn't Michiko. She didn't believe anything like that.

"You're not Michiko," I declared, frowning.

"Huh?" She smiled innocently. "Of course I am."

I shook my head. "You're not her at all. The Michiko I know didn't believe in fate, just like I don't. She believed that if people want their dreams to come true, then they have to do what it takes to make them come true. She knew that things wouldn't just come to people, that they would have to work for them. And once she found out I was a Knight Saber, she did say that it wasn't her place to tell me to quit or stay, but she also said that she'd support me in whatever I did. And she never belittled me like you're doing now. She was never a smart-ass, or snobby. She was the sweetest, most beloved girl in the whole world. Everyone that ever met her knew that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Now tell me, Boh, what the hell do you think you're trying to pull on me, huh?"

The smile faded from the fake Michiko's face. "Boh? Boh's not here."

"Of course you're here. You're here trying to play mind-rape games with me, and I'm not falling for it!!" I yelled. "Get out of my head, now!!"

"Out?" The fake Michiko started to dissolve in mid-air.

"Yes! Out!! I'm still very much alive, and if you think you can take me down from the inside, you're dead wrong!!" I smirked. "Us Asagiris are too smart for that."

"Hmph," the fake Michiko said, almost completely dissolved. "With the way you both think, one would say that your blood is so hot and thick that it would clog before reaching your brain. So for you to say that is quite an oxymoron."

"Oxymoron, my ass! How do you think we've stayed alive through all the shit we've been through?! Certainly not from being weak at heart!!" We were quite the opposite – we were stubborn, almost too stubborn for our own good, but our stubbornness did save us several times.

The fake Michiko was gone from my sight now, leaving only me in the black void. I looked up and yelled, "Boh!! Get out of my head now!!"

Only the sound of my own echo greeted me.

"Get out!!" I repeated.

Same thing.

I grumbled, took a deep breath, and screamed.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!"

And suddenly, everything went black again.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open slowly, my head feeling groggy. I blinked a few times, then after a moment, I realized something wasn't quite right. I couldn't move at all. I looked up, and saw Boh, a blank expression on his face, stare into mine, parts of his head attached to my helmet. And then, it clicked: he was on top of me, fused with my hardsuit.

"W-what are you doing…?" I asked weakly, my whole body aching with pain.

He smirked. "You really are stubborn," he said wistfully, his eyes glowing that familiar red like the Combat Boomers I'd faced before did with their eyes. "Just like Michiko was before I killed her."

"Get offa me…" I moaned, hardly able to move my arms at all.

"Let me show you the images of your friend's death," he breathed. "So you know exactly how she died before you join her."

On my HUD, some grainy footage started to come up, and suddenly, I realized what this was: what had happened from Boh's viewpoint. Unlike the footage that Quincy had showed me on the Multivision, this footage came with the audio as well as the visual footage.

"Ok," I could hear Boh's voice say. He held up a cellphone and started talking. "She's leaving the gym now with a friend of hers. I believe this would be the right time to strike."

"Don't do anything stupid," a woman's voice said from the phone. "You've done well. Don't mess it all up now."

"I won't, ma'am."

"Follow her. And the moment you get her alone, kill her! The first attempt to get her was thwarted by that robot of hers, and I will not tolerate another mistake."

"Heh. Fear not. I will not let you down." He turned off the cellphone, and picked up something on his sensors. "Oh, who do we have here?"

He detected someone standing outside the alley, and after scanning for who it was, he chuckled. "Michiko, care to talk?"

A gasp could be heard, followed by frantic running. Boh turned and ran after her, and after running through some winding alleys, he grabbed Michiko from behind by her necklace, snapping it off as she tried to jerk herself away. After dropping the chain, he grabbed her by the shirt and spun her around so they would be face-to-face.

"B-Boh, what are you doing?!" Michiko demanded, trembling.

"You didn't happen to overhear my conversation, did you?" Boh asked.

Michiko shook her head frantically, looking scared out of her mind. "N-n-no, I didn't hear anything!!"

"Why did you run then, hmm?"

She fumbled for something to say. "Yumeko…you're planning to hurt Yumeko, aren't you!! But why?!"

"Oh, you've probably figured it out by now, haven't you? Your friend's little secret?"

"Secret?"

"Don't play innocent. It won't work."

"D-don't hurt Yumeko! I won't let you hurt her!!" Michiko started to get tears in her eyes.

"You know too much, little girl. And I can't let you go out and tell anybody. You've heard the saying 'Dead men tell no tales,' right?"

She started to cry. "No, please! I won't tell anybody! Please, let me go!"

Boh shook his head. "I can't let you go. This is the only way to make sure you keep this secret. Too bad for you."

"You can't!" she pleaded. "No, don't do—"

She was cut off when Boh plunged a knife into her stomach. She gasped, then moaned and started to close her eyes, then her body jerked again as she was stabbed a second time. Boh jerked her closer to him, then raised the knife and plunged it into her chest once…then twice…and a third time. And Michiko, my friend Michiko, mumbled, "Yumeko, sorry…" before closing her eyes and slumping against Boh's chest. He picked her up, walked over to a nearby dumpster, and tossed her in, closing the lid.

"She got her blood on my shirt," Boh said casually. "I guess I'll have to go change before going over to Miss Yamazaki's place."

The footage ended there, and I was left in shock, totally and utterly numb.

"M-Michiko…" I stammered. It was the one thing I had hoped wouldn't be true, that she suffered before dying. But no, she was alive throughout the whole thing, and pleaded for her life, and even apologized to me before dying. The tears welled up in my eyes, from sadness and from rage, as well as horror. She had not deserved to die like that!

"You son of a bitch," I growled as Boh's face came back into view. "You…you scum, you bastard, you piece of shit!!"

"Now, now, what's with the name-calling?" he asked, smirking. "You wanted to know how she died, right?"

"Yeah…and you're gonna really pay now…" I managed to lift up my arm – damn, did it feel heavy – and shoved my hand into the side of his head, taking aim even as he started to fuse with it.

"What are you doing, Yumeko?" His eyes started to glow red again.

"I've had enough of this. It's time to put you down like…like the dog you are…" And with that, I fired my beam cannon. The blast went through one side of his head and exploded out the other. Boh's eyes grew wide, and the glowing in his eyes began to flicker, then he suddenly fell to the side, having defused from my hardsuit.

I laid there and panted for a few seconds, then heard an explosion from behind me. Sitting up and holding my arm, I turned around and saw that the sword Boomer and Monsoon were still going at it. I looked to my right and saw the two halves of the black Boomer, and grinned.

"Ok!!" I said to myself, slowly standing up. "We've got this thing wrapped, it looks like!!" It was me and Monsoon against this one Boomer; the odds had turned in my favor. I popped out the lasersword on my left arm and activated my jumpjets, jetting towards the Boomer.

As Monsoon swung its fist, the Boomer blocked it with its arm, and as it heard me speeding towards it, turned to face me, only to be greeted with a Leg Bomber to the face from me. I landed and swiped it across the chest with my lasersword, followed by a few discs through the stomach.

"That was for what you did to me at the summit!!" I growled. "I'll never forget that!" I winced as my stab wounds and my leg started to throb again.

"About time you woke up," the Boomer quipped. "I wanted to have more fun with you, anyway." It smirked.

I beckoned for Monsoon to come up behind me, and once it did, it opened its front up. I limped to it and climbed inside, the armor closing itself over me. Now combined with my Motoslave, I got into a fighting stance and declared, "It's time to finish this!!"

"You think being combined with that thing will help you any?" it inquired, sneering.

"Sure it will. I tore out your Black Box, so you can't use that anymore." I grinned behind my visor, despite the pain I was in. "This fight's gonna be mine." This was only the second time I'd ever been combined with my Motoslave, so maybe I was just spouting off nonsense, but that mattered not; I couldn't afford to lose this fight. I would do whatever it took to win.

"Child, that attitude will be your downfall!" the Boomer yelled as it charged at me, popping out its lasersword. I ran forward as well, and when the Boomer was about to swipe its sword, I went and grabbed it.

"What?!" the Boomer said, in disbelief. I grinned evilly as I twisted the sword, then ripped it out by its 'roots'. The Boomer hollered in pain as it grabbed its arm, fluids gushing from where the sword used to be. _Whoa, I should do that more often,_ I thought, grinning again as I broke the sword in half and tossed the pieces aside.

"Whatcha gonna do now?" I teased. I aimed the gun Monsoon had mounted on its arm at the Boomer and fired, blowing two huge holes in its chest and sending Boomer fluids pouring out of them, spilling to the ground. Amazingly enough, though, the bastard still wasn't dead!! In fact, it went on the charge again, and as I leaped over it to avoid it, it reached up and wrapped both arms around my left leg. I hollered in pain; it was my bad leg, after all.

"Once a cripple, always a cripple!!" the Boomer spat as it swung me around and threw me into a nearby wall.

_Thank God for the Motoslave's extra armor,_ I thought wearily as I wobbled to my feet. _That woulda really hurt!_ I barely had time to react as the Boomer fired its mouth cannon, ducking just as the blast grazed the top of my shoulder. I was too distracted avoiding that blast to even notice the next one, coming from its heat cannon this time. The force slammed into me, pinning me against the wall, but thanks to the Motoslave, I didn't even get fazed by it.

"You know…" I said, panting, "you really should know better than to call me a damn cripple!" I winced again when my leg started to throb. _C'mon, don't give out on me now,_ I thought as the Boomer charged again. _Not yet! Just give me another minute or so!_

I leaped out of the way of the Boomer's fist, and it went slamming into the wall, making a large dent in it. Turning around, I fired my guns at the Boomer again, but it ducked and aimed its palm at me, firing. The blast blew the gun off of my Motoslave's right arm, and I started to tremble, shaken by the close call. _That was too close,_ I thought; I would've wiped the sweat from my brow if I could. _Can't let the bastard do that again…_

"Now YOU have one less weapon as well!!" the Boomer taunted.

"That doesn't matter," I replied, smiling.

"How so?"

With the gun on my Motoslave's left arm, I fired rapidly at the ground at the Boomer's feet, which caught it off guard. While it was distracted by the flames the explosions caused, I leaped over the Boomer, landing behind it, and caught it in a bear hug.

"This is how so!!" I said, yanking on its arms, trying to rip them off.

The only response I got from the Boomer was a chuckle. _What's it laughing about?,_ I wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Stupid child, you know nothing about Boomers," it growled; I swore I could see it smirking. I tensed up my body, ready to rip its arms off with one mighty tug, but then, I found out something that would complicate that plan JUST a little bit.

I couldn't move the Motoslave's arms.

After a moment of confusion, I figured out why: the Boomer was fusing with it!!

"Holy shit!!" I cursed, trying to yank away, but suddenly, I got an electrical shock from my own Motoslave. I screamed as the shock continued for several seconds, then ceased. "What the hell's going on?!"

"I control your machine now!" the Boomer declared, making Monsoon shock me again. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out. I certainly had not expected this! I hadn't known these particular Boomers had fusion abilities.

And then, something popped up on the Motoslave's HUD. It was a countdown, counting down from 30. "What now?" I grumbled aloud.

"You tore out my Black Box, you bitch!!" the Boomer spat. "So I'm taking you down via another way!"

_The son of a bitch is gonna blow himself up!!,_ I thought as another shock came from Monsoon. _Shit, I shoulda known he'd have a last resort! Damn it all!!_ This thing had a Plan A, Plan B, AND Plan C! Damn, I should've counted on that, but…I had been so caught up in wanting to avenge Michiko that it must've slipped my mind.

Crud.

"Let…me…GO!!" I screamed, trying to yank myself away again, only to get an even bigger shock than before. "Damn it, Monsoon, STOP it!!" I scolded, trying not to let the pain distract me from finding a way out of this. The countdown was at 18 now, and counting down. I had to think of something fast!

Then, in the midst of my panic as the countdown reached 12, something clicked in my head. Maybe not the entire Motoslave was under the Boomer's control. _Please, there's gotta be something the Boomer doesn't have control over,_ I prayed inside as I did a quick scan of the Motoslave's systems, getting yet another shock and crying out in pain from it. I had to think of the Boomer as a virus, and check for whatever the 'virus' hadn't infected. After a moment, I looked through the results of the scan as the countdown was at 5.

I laughed aloud like a maniac when I saw the results: the emergency ejection system was the only thing I had control over. _All right! All RIGHT!!,_ I thought, ecstatic.

4…3…

"Time for me to leave," I said slyly, grinning widely.

"What do you mean?" the Boomer asked.

2…1…

"I mean, sayonara!"

…0.

* * *

We were in Sylia's plane, on our way to Genom Tower, when all of sudden, a distant booming noise filled the air. I was about to pull on my hardsuit helmet, but when I heard the noise, I dropped it and ran to the cockpit.

"What the hell was that?!" I yelled.

"Take a look!" Mackie said, pointing. I looked at where he was pointing, and there was the summit of Genom Tower, up in flames.

Nene peeked over my shoulder, and all she could say was, "Whoa."

"Isn't that where we detected Yumeko at?" Linna asked. "Sylia, do you think…?"

I turned to look at Sylia for her reaction, but all she did was cross her arms over her chest and nod, her face still as stone.

I heard Mackie curse, and when I turned to look at him again, he had a worried look on his face.

"What now?" I demanded. "Is Yume ok?!"

"The signal from her Motoslave stopped," he mumbled.

"It…it stopped?!" I shook my head; there was no way… "It doesn't mean she was in it though, right?"

"The signal, before it stopped, indicated that it was in Motoslave form, and not Motoroid form, so…she was in it."

The blood drained from my face. Yume couldn't be gone…she couldn't be… She was my daughter, there was no way she could be dead! Damn it, she KNEW this could happen, but…she did it anyway!

"She's not…she's not…" I repeated, taking a step back.

"Priss, m-maybe you should sit down," Linna suggested, looking much how I felt.

"They're gonna pay!!" I swore as I grabbed my helmet and started to run towards the rear ramp. Linna and Nene both jumped to hold me back.

"Wait a sec, Priss!!" Linna yelled.

"Let GO, Linna!!" I snapped. "They killed her!! They killed her!!"

I was cut off when Sylia came up and punched me in the stomach. I instantly fell to my knees, trying to get my breath back.

"Priss, at least let Nene scan for her before you go off like a lunatic," Sylia ordered.

I coughed, holding my stomach. "What'd you do that for?!"

"How else was I supposed to stop you? Nene, scan for Yumeko."

"Right!" the redhead affirmed, putting on her helmet. We all stood around and listened anxiously as her suit started beeping and making other noises. After a few seconds, Nene slowly lifted up her visor and started to laugh like an idiot.

"W-what is it, Nene?" Linna asked, eyes wide.

"I don't believe it!!" she laughed, holding her stomach, she was laughing so hard. "She pulled it off!! She made it!!"

Linna and I just stood there for a moment, then we started to cheer. Yume was alive!! Somehow, I knew she wouldn't be taken down that easily!!

* * *

I stood up on wobbly feet, trembling all over. That had been too close. Almost right at the moment I managed to eject out the back of Monsoon, the Boomer went up in a huge ball of fire, throwing me back a ways and temporarily knocking me out. And now, as I took a look around, everything around me was engulfed in a sea of flames. I lifted up my visor and just stood there, gazing at them. It was an eerily pretty sight…well, for someone who'd been on a mission like this one, at least.

I looked down at my hardsuit; it had various little scorch marks on them, including some cracks on my arm where the black Boomer had kicked me and broken my arm, but other than that, I guess I wasn't in too bad of shape.

I heard a movement on the ground next to me, and when I turned my head to look, there was Boh, looking up at me, most of the skin on the left side of his face totally gone, exposing the real Boomer skin. His clothes were in tatters, probably from the explosion.

"Hmph. You," I said.

"Brilliant. Just brilliant," he groaned, still smiling. "For a moment, it looked like you were going to go down, just like you expected to."

"I didn't think you'd still be alive. What do you think you can do now?" I asked, my voice filled with ice.

"I congratulate you, Yumeko. It's been a pleasure fighting with you. A pleasure getting to know you."

I quoted a line from an old song. "My friend, before your voice is gone…one man's fun is another's hell." I frowned. "It may have been fun for you, but for me, it wasn't fun at all. As far as I'm concerned, you're getting off easy. But me, I have to live with the loss of Michiko for the rest of my life. I can never forgive you for taking her away from me…and from her parents, and from everybody that loved her."

He smirked, and in a strangely mechanical-sounding voice, he inquired, "What are you going to do about it? You can't bring her back."

"You're right, I can't." I took aim at him with my beam cannon. "But I can get rid of you, just like I've intended to do ever since you stabbed me."

"Humans…always out for revenge. Always have the need to be superior. Why can't you just admit that Boomers will reign supreme one day?"

I smirked for a moment. "I, for one, am not going to be content being bossed around by a bunch of brainless robots like Boomers. And I'm sure that others will realize that we can live without them doing every little thing for us."

"But then your band of mercenaries will no longer be needed," he said, smirking.

"I'll be glad when we're not needed anymore. People shouldn't have to live in fear. They shouldn't have to lead the life that I've led for the past year. And putting you down will be a fitting start to the new era," I said coldly.

As I started to charge up the beam cannon, Boh merely grinned. "It's too late. Boomers are already well-woven into the fabric of society. You can't possibly remove them without taking apart the fabric as well."

"That's what the Boomer summit was for, though. And perhaps if those two Boomers hadn't interfered, the world leaders would have come up with a way to get rid of them."

"It's possible. But you'll never know."

I took aim again. "Oh, we will. And I'm going to be there when it happens. Goodbye, Boh."

I fired a blast, which hit Boh upside the head. On my HUD, Boh's life signs spiked for a moment, then wavered, and then declined until they flat-lined. At the same time, the glowing in his eyes flickered, then went dead. It was over.

I bent down and closed his eyes, then stood up again and looked down at his body. _Boh, you weren't such a bad guy. I actually kind of liked you,_ I thought as I heard the sound of approaching police cars and helicopters. _Too bad you were my enemy._

I sighed and opened my flight wings, then took to the air again. Once I got above the flames, I flew away from the summit of Genom Tower, hopefully leaving it behind for good. This was a mission I hoped I would never have to repeat.

I flew for a ways, and once I knew that I wouldn't be spotted by the police, I landed on the roof of a nearby building. I looked up and was in awe at the sight of the summit of Genom Tower completely in flames. _Just a little something to remember me by, I guess,_ I thought, chuckling. It kinda looked like a huge torch.

_Monsoon, you did your job well,_ I thought, remembering that it had gone up along with the Boomer. _You sacrificed yourself to help me defeat those Boomers, and you helped me get into Genom Tower. And for that, I thank you._

I winced and rubbed my arm; it had started to hurt again. The adrenaline rush was wearing off, and now I was starting to feel all my wounds. Aw, hell. They'd been worth it. Compared to expecting to be killed, I guess the wounds I had sustained weren't too bad.

Mom, Linna, Sylia, and Nene hadn't needed to fight this fight, after all. I'd done it all myself, with the help of Monsoon. And as my vision got blurrier, and the darkness started to engulf me, I had to thank them. If I hadn't known about their planned assault, I couldn't have carried out mine.

_Thanks, you guys,_ I thought as I collapsed.

* * *

"Have you found her yet?!" I asked Mackie as he looked below in the flames for any sign of my daughter.

"I'm trying as hard as I can, Priss!!" he snapped. "But we gotta watch out for the police, too!"

"She probably got out of there once she heard them coming," Linna theorized. "At least, that's what I think."

I marched out of the cockpit and sat down, mumbling curses under my breath. Nene was looking out of one of the windows, on the lookout for her, and suddenly, she gasped.

"I think I see her!" she exclaimed. I got up and ran to the window and took a peek out. I squinted and on the roof of a building a short distance away, I thought I saw a figure, but it was hard to tell. I put on my helmet and scanned that area, and sure enough, the signal from Yume's hardsuit popped up.

"Mackie, turn left!" I yelled. "We found her!"

"Roger!" he affirmed.

"That girl…she really is your kid, Priss," Linna said, grinning. "And admit it, you thought she was a goner."

I lifted up my visor and smiled. "Fine, I will. But you thought so, too."

She nodded. "Yeah, I admit I did."

"We're almost at Yumeko's location," Sylia said, looking out the window.

"Ok, Sylia," I said, pressing the button to open up the rear ramp. I ran towards it as it opened up, and leaped out.

"Wait for me!" Nene called out, leaping after me.

I activated my thrusters to make sure I would land ok, then I leaped from building to building till I got to Yume. She was passed out on the roof, her visor lifted up. I bent down, lifting up my own visor, and took her in my arms.

"You did good, Yume," I sighed, smiling softly.

"Is she ok?!" Nene asked, running up to us.

I stood up, cradling my daughter, and smiled. "She's fine." Other than a cut up near her hairline, from which there was a trail of dried blood all the way down the side of her face near her ear, and some cracks and scorch marks on her hardsuit, she looked fine to me.

I turned to look at Genom Tower, and grinned at the realization that my daughter had done that all herself. Nene lifted up her visor to look too, and returned the grin.

"She's been a lot of trouble," Nene said, still smiling, "but she's been worth it."

"I would die for Yume," I mumbled to myself. "And she almost returned the favor. But she's my kid, after all. She ain't going down so easily, just like her mom."

Nene nodded in agreement, still looking at Genom Tower.

"Gonna come back up, or are ya gonna walk home?" Linna joked over the comm.

"We should get out of here before we draw attention," Sylia said matter-of-factly.

"Roger that," I said, looking up at the plane hovering above us, and me and Nene jetted back up to the rear ramp.

After closing the ramp, I took off my helmet and Yume's, and sat down with her in my lap, cradling her.

"She ok?" Linna asked, now just in her innerwear.

"She's fine," I replied. I kissed her on the forehead as tears started to well up in my eyes. She had been anticipating this to be a suicide mission, and I thanked God that it hadn't turned out that way. "She just needs some rest."

"What do you suppose happened to Boh?" Nene wondered.

Sylia smirked. "From the looks of things, I don't think we have to worry about him anymore. My scanner detected three dead Boomers on the summit of Genom Tower, two of them being the same design as the ones we fought at the summit, and the third one had the same design as a typical 33D Boomer, which is what Boh was."

I grinned. "Yep, I'd say Yume cleaned up!"

Linna walked up to me. "Priss…"

"Yeah?" I looked up at her.

She smiled softly. "I don't know what you and Yumeko think, but I, for one, am glad that she joined the Knight Sabers. There's a lot that we couldn't have done without her."

I smiled wearily. "Thanks, Linna."

I felt Yume stir in my arms, and when I looked down at her, she was just coming to. "Hey, Yume!" I said softly.

She looked up at me, eyes half-open, and smiled weakly. "Mom…"

"You did it, kid. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks…" She leaned her head against my chest and heaved a sigh, still smiling weakly. "Do you think that after…after what I did, Sylia will use Rule 11?"

Everyone in the plane, including me, started to laugh out loud.

"I should hope not! After what you went through?" I joked.

Sylia chuckled and turned to Mackie. "Take us home, Mackie."

"Sure thing, Sis!" he responded, returning the chuckle.

I normally wouldn't be one to brag, but how many moms could say that their seventeen-year-old daughters helped to save Tokyo? I was willing to bet I was the only one. But then again, I was probably also the only one that would let their daughter become a vigilante to begin with! I admit it was a job that didn't suit everyone, but Yume almost looked born for the role.

My kid, Yumeko Asagiri; daughter of singer Priss Asagiri, high school student, aspiring Olympic star, and Knight Saber. Now that's something to put on a résumé!

* * *

A few days later, I was going through my dresser drawers, looking for stuff that I thought I should pack. I took out a few pairs of jeans, folded them up, and stacked them neatly in my suitcase. After closing that drawer, I opened up the one that held my sweatshirts. I took a few of my favorite ones out and put them in with my jeans.

"Well, can't fit any more in this one," I said aloud, zipping it up. I picked it up and hauled it out to the living room, and threw it on the couch with the other two suitcases I'd filled up.

"Do you want to take your trophies with you, Yume?" Mom called out from our bedroom.

"My trophies?"

"Yeah." She peeked her head out the door. "Did you saw off your cast?" she asked, pointing to my arm.

"I did," I admitted, grinning mischievously. "It was driving me nuts. And so is this bandage." I scratched at the one wrapped around my head.

"So what do you want to do with your trophies?"

"You can keep 'em here. I can't take every little thing with me."

She sighed and walked out into the living room. "I know that. But you worked hard for those. You sure you don't wanna take 'em along, just to keep you inspired when you're wondering why the hell you're training for the Olympics?" she added, grinning impishly.

"I don't need the trophies for that. Just the image of that Olympic gold medal around my neck will help," I said, grinning. "And besides, it's not like I'm going away forever. You need something of mine here to remind you of me, just like I need something to remind me of Michiko." I twirled the necklace chain around my finger, then realized what I was doing, and stopped; Michiko had often done this same thing with it. "Heh, must've rubbed off on me…"

"And now, we're going to the news conference," the newscaster suddenly said on the TV. Mom and I turned to watch.

A spokesman for Genom walked up to the podium, cleared his throat, and started to speak.

"Good afternoon, everyone. As you know, the Tower was attacked a few days ago, causing significant damage." Mom and I both laughed; the only things that had been damaged were Quincy's office and the summit of the Tower. "Quincy has decided to inform the people of Tokyo that he will be taking a leave of absence from the position of Genom CEO indefinitely."

"What the hell?" Mom said aloud.

"No kidding," I agreed. What was he doing that for?

"For the time being, the acting CEO of Genom will be vice-chairman Katherine Madigan. Miss Madigan?" He beckoned her to come up to the podium. After a moment, a lavender-haired woman walked up to the podium and spoke.

"Quincy has asked me to be the CEO of this fine company for the time being, and I feel deeply humbled by his request," Madigan said. "I promise you that as long as I am asked to hold this position, I will do whatever I can to eliminate the group of criminals that everyone knows as the Knight Sabers, and to ensure the safety and viability of the city of MegaTokyo."

_Her voice is so familiar,_ I thought, frowning. _Kinda sounds like the woman that Boh was talking to on the phone before he ran into Michiko…_ I turned to Mom, and she looked positively pissed off. She gritted her teeth, then slammed her fist into the open palm of her hand. _Whoa, what's she so mad about? Does she know something about this lady?_

There was a knock on the door, and I turned and went to answer it. When I opened the door, there stood Nene, with a manila envelope in her hand.

"Hi, Yumeko!" she said in her singsong voice.

"Hi Nene!"

She walked into the apartment, and saw the look on Mom's face. "What is it, Priss?"

"Madigan's the Genom CEO now," she grumbled, still gazing at the TV screen.

"She is?!" Nene looked at the TV, and paled when she saw it was true.

_I wish somebody would tell me why the hell having some gal named Madigan as Genom CEO is a big deal!,_ I thought, feeling left out.

"This makes me sick," Mom spat, turning off the TV.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Nene asked, turning to look at me. "You don't have to go into hiding to avoid Genom's henchmen."

"It was my idea," Mom mumbled.

"It…was?"

She nodded. "I don't think anybody should have to spend their teenage years going out to protect the city from Boomers. I want Yume to have a chance at a normal life."

"But…" Nene started to get tears in her eyes. "You would send away your own daughter?"

"It's not like I WANT to!!" Mom fired back, tears welling up in her eyes as well. "But I love her. And I don't want her to go around having to watch her back every second! I'm doing what's best for Yume. I…I can't be selfish, not when she could get killed because of it. I've got Sylia's support on this, too…"

"I'm not going away forever," I said, trying not to cry myself. "I'll come back soon, when this whole thing dies down."

Nene wiped the tears from her eyes, her hands starting to tremble; she knew what that possibly meant.

"Well, um, here's the things that I made up for you," she said with a shaky voice, handing me the manila envelope. I opened it and looked at its contents. "I made up a fake birth certificate, ID, Social Security card, those sort of things."

"What's the name on here?" I asked, looking at the ID. "Rocío? That's my new name?"

"Well, you can't really hide out that well if you're using your real name." She was trying not to cry again. "And you've often been mistaken for Hispanic, right? Because of the way your skin looks? So I picked out a Hispanic-sounding name. Where you're going, you'll be known as Rocío María Monterrey."

I wrinkled my nose as I repeated the name several times. The last name may as well be 'mentira' -- Spanish for 'lie' -- as far as I was concerned. And wasn't 'Monterrey' a type of cheese? I turned to Mom, taking the bandage off of my head, and asked, "Do I look like a Rocío to you?"

She smiled weakly. "Not really," she admitted, "but probably because I've only known you as Yume." She walked over and gave me a hug, making me wince when the wound on my back started to hurt. "And no matter what your name is changed to, you'll always be Yume to me."

I smiled. "You ain't gonna see nobody named Rocío at the Olympics next year though! I'm gonna use my own name, so people all over will know that Yumeko Asagiri got a gold medal in gymnastics instead of some girl that nobody ever heard of."

"That's the girl I raised," Mom said, a satisfied smirk on her face.

"So…if or when you come back, are you going to rejoin the Knight Sabers?" Nene asked, looking curious.

"Of course! I can't just quit after my rookie year!" I joked. "I'll always be a Knight Saber. And besides, you guys will probably need my help."

Nene nodded. "Yeah, that's probably true…"

"Oh, you'll be back," Mom joked. "Once you've been to Tokyo, you ain't going nowhere. Once you're here, you're stuck."

"Except for the occasional escape, under the disguise of a world tour?" Nene asked, playing along.

We all laughed at that remark.

The mood was interrupted when the sound of three pagers going off simultaneously filled our ears. "I think we know what that means," I said, smiling as I turned off mine. It had been so long since I heard that sweet sound…

"I should hope so," Nene joked, turning off hers.

"Up for one last outing, Yume?" Mom asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Hell yeah!" I exclaimed, nodding vigorously.

"Let's go then! And the last one there doesn't get to kill any Boomers!"

All of us ran out the door – me making sure to lock it behind me – and headed down the stairs to our waiting vehicles. For a moment, my leg twinged, but I paid it no mind. This was going to be the last time I was going to go Boomer-bashing with my friends, and I wasn't going to miss it for the world.

By the time I reached my motorcycle, Mom had already started hers up and was pulling on her helmet. "Let's try to make this one extra-fun, ok, Yume?" she asked, winking.

"I'll be sure to," I said, starting up my bike. "Try to save one or two for me."

"Sure thing."

She drove off, and I was just backing my bike out of the parking space when I saw Nene was having trouble with her scooter.

"Stupid thing!" she yelled, smacking on the handles with her fists.

"Having mechanical trouble?" I teased.

Nene gave me a goofy grin, wagged her finger at me, and shook her head, kicking the scooter in the side. I smirked as the scooter started up. "I think I got it," she said smugly.

"I see that," I joked. "I'll see you at Sylia's place!"

As I drove off down the street, Nene pulled on her helmet and waved to me. I waved back.

It was such a strange feeling. When I'd gone to Genom Tower four days ago, I thought for sure that would be my final battle. But as it turned out, I survived that assault, and now today's battle was to be my last. And tonight, I would get on a plane and head off to start a new life, start over and try to lead a normal life. But…I'd never had a normal life to begin with, to be honest. Not everybody had a famous singer or Knight Saber for a mom. And my dad, he wasn't even in the picture.

As I was riding my motorcycle down the street, some lyrics from an old song started to play in my head…

_There's a danger in loving somebody too much,  
__and it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust.  
__There's a reason why people don't stay where they are.  
__Baby, sometimes love just ain't enough._

I honestly didn't know when or if I would be coming back to MegaTokyo. Mom wanted me to live elsewhere so I could live something resembling a normal life, and to hide out from Genom's ever-watchful eye, but I had agreed to go for a reason other than that. I agreed to go because right now, there were just too many memories for me in Tokyo. The friendship between me and Michiko had blossomed here; we'd grown up together. And now, it would be just me.

A part of me really wanted to stay in MegaTokyo; after all, if I hid out, wouldn't that mean that we had let Genom win? But Mom didn't see it that way. She had told me that she loved me too much to put me in any more danger. And so, she was sending me away to live in the suburb of some faraway town, even if it meant we might never see each other again.

A most selfless act by her. That's what it was.

But no. I wasn't planning on staying away forever. Mom was right; it was something about the atmosphere of this city that drew people here to live and make their homes, and I couldn't possibly stay away for the rest of my life. There was no way.

Someday, I didn't know when, but someday, I would be back by my friends' sides, helping to protect the city of MegaTokyo from Boomers. And when I came back, I would make sure that Genom would once again face the wrath of a Knight Saber scorned.

But until then…I had a whole new adventure laying in front of me.


End file.
